From The Illicuno's Side of it All
by Lilly Dragon
Summary: A young girl and her adventures as a trainer. But how does she feel obout owning Pokemon when she is one herself? My first Pokemon fanfic, written some years ago that I decided to redo. R&R PLEASE!
1. Viridian Forest

Chapter One: Viridian Forest

It was noon in the Viridian Forest. The sun was high in the sky. A mother Pidgeot flew about the trees, searching for a fat, juicy Caterpie to feed her young. Several Mankey scurried about, playing and wrestling in the grass. A single Dodrio pecked at a tree, alternating its heads with each peck.

A young girl started coming up the hill. She looked about thirteen years old. She had very long dark brown hair pulled in a neat low ponytail at the back of her head. Her deep brown eyes seemed very alive.

She wore a short, sky-blue skirt, white shirt with a yellow star-design, and a pair of purple hiking boots. She wore a deep purple jacket over the outfit. She had a large pack on her back over her jacket. A belt with six Pokéballs on it hung from her waist.

A Pokémon followed her: a Bulbasaur! It squealed happily as it trotted along beside her (it must be her Bulbasaur).

"C'mon! I can't wait all day!" the girl yelled behind her back.

"Okay, okay already! Sheesh." A voice from over the hill replied.

Another girl raced up the hill! She looked about thirteen years old too, however she was less physically developed than her companion. She carried a pack larger than her companion's with six Pokéballs inside, as well as some supplies. Her long, blonde hair was tied back in a high ponytail. Her bright-green eyes were full of excitement and wonder.

She wore a beautiful, long purple skirt. She also wore a white shirt with an unusual tie-dye design on it and knee-length boots, though black.

What? There's a Pokémon on her shoulder. It's a Charmander! It sat contently on its rear, squealing with joy as the girl ran to catch up with the other girl.

Panting, the girl said, "How far to Pewter City, Gloria?"

"I'll check my map, Julie. Be patient." Gloria replied digging a map out of the pocket of her jacket.

Julie snorted and grabbed the map out of Gloria's hand. "You IDIOT!" she groaned throwing the map at her face. "I _told_ you to turn left at the big tree!"

"But I _did_ turn left." Gloria replied calmly stuffing the map back in her pocket. "It's just a little further…"

"Hey…huff…puff… Wait up!" another voice yelled.

A young boy raced up the hill. His deep blue eyes were dark and serious. His short red hair was messy and poked under a red cap.

He wore a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt with a picture of a Squirtle on it. He was younger than the girls, only about twelve. He also wore a pair of sports sneakers with white socks. Hey! There's something with him… A Squirtle! It waddled along excitedly as it followed the boy.

He also carried a pack over his deep blue jacket. Around his waist, a belt with three Pokéballs on it hung.

"Where were you, Joshua?" asked Julie.

"Huff…long…puff…story…explain…later…" Joshua panted.

The grass rustled behind Gloria.

"Shhh. Listen." She said holding Julie behind her.

"What…puff… now?" Joshua said.

She ignored him. The rustling sounded again. This time, a cute-looking bug creature flew out.

"Eee! Free!" it squealed.

Gloria pulled her Pokédex out.

"Butterfree," it said, "a bug type Pokémon. The dust on its wings is highly toxic." The Pokédex hummed for a moment, then said, "Experience scan indicates its level is twenty-nine."

"Not bad for a Butterfree." Said Joshua. "Most Butterfree are no higher than level twenty-two."

Gloria puffed up with pride. She tossed a Pokéball onto the field. "Go Beedrill!"

"Bee! Drill! Bee! Drill! Bee! Drill! Beedrill!" the Beedrill buzzed.

"Beedrill, Poison Sting now!"

"Bee!" A sharp, poisonous dart flew out of its mouth and missed the Butterfree.

"Free! Eee! Free!" The Butterfree flapped its wings rapidly.

Surprised, Gloria ducked just as the cloud of Poison Powder flew over her head. "Poison Powder!? It can't possibly be wild! It learns it wild at fifty-four."

"Free, free!" squealed Butterfree.

"Okay, Beedrill, use Twineedle!"

"BEEDRILL!" It stung the Butterfree, HARD!

"Free? Free!" it used its Confusion attack.

"Beedrill! BEEEEEEEE!!!" The Beedrill had just fainted.

"Okay, that didn't work…" Gloria said as she recalled the fainted Beedrill. "Go Bulbasaur!" She pointed to her green companion.

"Bulbasaur! Bulba!" it squealed as it raced toward the Butterfree.

"Free?" squeaked a surprised Butterfree.

"Bulbasaur, Stun Spore!"

"Bulb-a-saurrrr!" Bulbasaur crouched down. Out of its "bulb" came a shower of Stun Spores.

"I've got you now! Pokéball, go!" Gloria threw her Pokéball at the stunned Butterfree.

"Free!" It squealed as it was caught.

"Yeah! That's one for our side!" Gloria cheered grabbing the Pokéball.

"Shall we get a move on? I'm tired." Julie said.

"Tell me about it." Gloria replied, "It feels like forever since I left Saffron City."

Gloria continued down the path. She then felt something snag on her leg.

"Ow!" she yelled after falling on her face. She turned around to see who/what tripped her. It was Bulbasaur! It had its vines wrapped around Gloria's leg.

"Bulbasaur! Bulba, bulba!"

"What's wrong, Bulbasaur?" she asked picking up her prized Pokémon.

"BULBA!!!" yelled the Bulbasaur in Gloria's face, causing her to drop it in surprise.

"I think it wants to show us something." Suggested Joshua.

Bulbasaur raced to some bushes. "Bulbasaur!" it pointed beyond the bushes with one of its vines.

"Well, Cut it down, and show us!" Gloria commanded.

Bulbasaur Cut the bush down. "Bulbasaur!" it sung happily.

Gloria couldn't believe her eyes. A cute-looking mouse-like Pokémon stood in the middle of an open field.

"PIKA!" it yelled as it ran off into a bush.

"Bulbasaur! Bulba bulb!" Bulbasaur called. "Bulb!"

The Pikachu poked its head out of the bush.

"Bulbasaur, bulba." Bulbasaur continued.

The Pikachu raced back into the bush. This time, however, Bulbasaur ran after it.

"Hey! Come back!" Gloria yelled chasing after Bulbasaur. What she saw made her jaw drop. A bunch of things that looked like Bulbasaurs in Squirtle shells ran about. One of them approached Joshua cautiously.

"Bulbasquirt!" it said putting its front paws on his legs.

Gloria pulled her Pokédex out. "Maybe it has information on these…"

"Pokémon unidentifiable." It said. "Possible new species. Recording all available data. Please record a name to refer this specie."

"WOW!" said Julie. "A new species…"

"Don't be _too_ sure…" Gloria said as she stared at a cute little one that waddled over to her.

"Bulbasquirt!" it squealed.

"Bulbasquirt new Pokémon name. Confirm?" Said the Pokédex.

"Hey! (Stop! That tickles! ) I (Stop that!) have an (Giggle, giggle! ) idea." Joshua said between laughs; one of the Bulbasaur-Squirtles had climbed into his arms, and was licking his face. "Let's (Quit that!) Call these (Hee! Hee!) Bulbasaur-Squirtle (Cut it out!) things Bulbasquirts! (Ha, ha! Stop it already! )"

"Bulbasquirt." Gloria repeated. "Not bad. I guess this explains where Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle went last week-hey!" a Bulbasquirt leapt into Gloria's arms and begun to lick her face.

"But (Ha! Ha!) where's Bulbasaur (Cut that out!) and (Get off!) Squirtle?" Julie said. She too had a Bulbasquirt clawing its way into her arms.

"Good (Okay, okay! Get off! Get off! ) question." Gloria replied pushing off a surprised Bulbasquirt. She stood up quickly before another one could climb up on her. "Playful little creatures aren't they?" She tossed a Pokéball at the smallest Bulbasquirt. She had learned that the younger a Pokémon is when it is trained/caught, the stronger it will become as an adult.

The other Bulbasquirts stopped playing and stared at the Pokéball with the little Bulbasquirt inside. They crowded around it and squealed at Gloria. They banged their heads on the ball, apparently trying to get inside, all five of them at once! (Okay, there were six, but Gloria caught the smallest one.)

"(Haha!) Look at them! They want to go in one too! (Heeheehee!)" Said Joshua, bending over to pick up his hat. (A Bulbasquirt had knocked it off earlier.) Just as he was about to pick it up, Charmander ran over and grabbed it!

"Charmander! Char!" It squeaked waving Joshua's hat. "Charmander! Char!"

"Hey!" He yelled at the laughing lizard, "Gimmie back my hat!!!"

"Charmander! Char! Charmander! Char! Charmander! Char!" The seemingly crazed lizard repeated running off into a bush to the west.

"C'mon!" he yelled chasing Charmander, "Let's follow it!"

Gloria bent over, grabbed the Pokéball, and ran after Joshua/Charmander. Julie followed. Little did they know, the other little Bulbasquirts followed them too…

The duo made their way to the bush where Charmander ran. What they saw was even stranger still, the Pikachu they saw when they had first seen the Bulbasquirts, was sitting in the middle of the field. Julie's Charmander sat in the grass nearby.

"What's-" Julie started before Gloria clapped her hand over Julie's mouth.

"Shhh." She said, "You'll scare them."

"Who?" Julie started before she saw what Gloria was talking about: several Charmander-like creatures strutted about. They had long ears like a Pikachu, and yellow lightning-bolt shaped tails. One of them hopped over to Joshua.

"Charchu?" it said cocking its head sideways. It turned around and yelled to its look-alikes, "Char!"

Gloria got out her Pokédex again. It said "Pokémon unidentifiable. Possible new specie. Recording all available data. Please record a name to refer to this specie." 

"Wow! What shall we call it, Pikamander, or Charchu?" asked Joshua.

"I personally think we should call it Charchu. After all, it looks like a Charmander with a Pikachu's tail." Julie said.

"Charchu new Pokémon name. Confirm?" said the Pokédex.

"She's got a point." Gloria replied. "Looks like there's six of 'em. Enough for us to have two each; one to fight with, another to keep for study. After all, it _is_ a 'possible new specie.'"

"Hey! These guys are almost as playful as those Bulba-what's-their-names." Julie laughed as a Charchu leapt up onto her lap.

"Char?" it said staring at a Pokéball in her hand. It grabbed the ball and banged its head on it. 

Gloria couldn't help laughing. "Look! It wants in!"

Julie tossed an empty Pokéball at the Charchu. It squealed as it was caught and dropped the Pokéball. She repeated it on another one. Gloria and Joshua did the same.

Joshua was about to catch his second one when he realized it wasn't Charmander that stole his hat; it was a Char_chu_!

"I'll take that hat!" he said snatching his hat off the Charchu's head. He then tossed his last Pokéball at the Charchu before it could take his hat again.

"Okay we've got two each right? Good. Let's go." Julie said.

"Bulba!"

"Huh?" Gloria said turning around. The other Bulbasquirts had followed her!

"Heh. They want to come too. I'll catch one more for study. Looks like there's enough for each of us to have two." Said Gloria. Julie and Joshua each caught two Bulbasquirts, and Gloria caught another one. "Maybe I should catch 'mom' too. If I were a Pokémon, I'd hate to leave without _my _mom." She caught a still surprised Pikachu.

The trio continued to follow the path. A short while later, the companions made their way to the top of a large hill.

"Okay, by my map, we should be able to see Pewter City from here." Gloria said pulling out her map again.

Sprawled out before them, like some giant model, lay Pewter City, the place most trainers get their first badge...

"Yeah!" Joshua yelled. "Finally!" he raced ahead of the others. "C'mon. We haven't all day, you know!"

Sighing, Julie followed Joshua over the hill, Gloria not too far behind her.

Little did the our heroes know, that behind them, a small pinkish cat-like creature, better known to you and me as Mew, watched them from afar and followed them for a few minutes. Then, a short time later, as the companions entered Pewter City, it vanished into the lengthening shadows beyond the forest.


	2. Team Rocket Strikes

Chapter Two: Team Rocket Strikes 

"Finally," Gloria sighed, "Pewter City."

"I still can't believe I've been away from Lavender Town for almost an _entire_ year!" exclaimed Julie. "Let's get to a Pokécenter before it gets dark."

As this odd trio walked down the path, they never noticed the pair of shady people hiding in the shadows…

The team had finally made their way to the Pokécenter. As they walked into the door a chime went off. The receptionist looked up.

"Gloria?!" she ran out from behind the counter. "How's my little Poopsie?"

"Aunt Joy!" Gloria yelled growing red in the face.

"Oh, you've brought friends."

"Allow me," said Julie "Julie Lanata of Lavender Town here!"

"And who is _this_ fine young lad?" asked Nurse Joy.

"I'm Joshua Carpenter of Saffron City, ma'am."

"Well, this is indeed wonderful!" said the pleased nurse. "How's your Pokémon, Gloria?"

"Well, Bulbasaur did something pretty peculiar last week,"

"Bulba, bulbasaur!" said the confident Pokémon.

"It must've mated with Joshua's Squirtle because I think I have a cross-breed."

"Oh, I just _have_ to see it! Let it out, let it out!" said Nurse Joy excitedly.

Gloria took a Pokéball off her belt and let out…

"Meow!" said the Persian.

"Oops! Wrong ball!" she said "Oh well, Persian needs the exercise anyway."

"Rower." It replied rubbing itself on Gloria's leg.

Gloria grabbed another Pokéball. This time out came the little Bulbasquirt.

"Bulba?" it squealed blinking its eyes against the relatively bright lights of the Pokécenter. (That is, when you compare it to the dusky light of the Viridian Forest).

"Oh, it's so cute!" said Nurse Joy. "You most certainly have another one, no?"

"Oh," said Julie "we each have two of these Bulbasquirts."

"We also caught another cross-breed. Here it is." Gloria released her Charchu.

"Char?" it squeaked at Nurse Joy. "CHU!!!" it ran off.

"Hey!" Gloria said chasing after Charchu. "Get back here!"

"Bulba! Squirt! Bulba! Squirt!" laughed the Bulbasquirt.

The Charchu bumped into a shelf full of Pokéballs, but Gloria was too busy trying to chase Charchu to notice. She grabbed it and held it close to her face. "What's gotten into you, huh?"

"Look out, Gloria!" yelled Nurse Joy.

"Huh?" Gloria said as she looked up.

"Oh no!" yelled Joshua as he covered his head.

"Get down!" shrieked Julie; all of the Pokéballs were falling off of the shelf, right on top of Gloria…

At that very same time two Team Rocket members watched the event through the skylight. One of them, a man in his twenties watched with an evil sneer. He wore the classic male Team Rocket memorabilia. His blonde hair was spiked in a way possible only with lots and lots of hair gel. His gray-green eyes seemed to reflect his evil ways.

His companion, however, seemed rather mismatched. She had dark green eyes that could calm a Mankey. Her long blonde hair was very well combed. She wore the classic clothing of a female Team Rocket member.

"Okay, Daniel." she said softly "Your turn."

"But, Janett!" replied Daniel "We had an agreement. Every mission we would switch who goes in first. I went last time, it's your turn now."

"Oh, the things I do for you…" Janett said crawling down a ventilation shaft, her partner not far behind.

"Ouch!" the muffled voice of Gloria erupted from the mound of Pokéballs. She shook her head causing a couple of Pokéballs to tumble off. "Where's Charchu?"

"CHARCHU!" Charchu's head popped up, sending a few more Pokéballs flying off.

"Wait…" said Julie motioning for silence.

"What's wrong, Julie?" asked a surprised Nurse Joy.

"I thought I heard something…"

"OW!!!" a voice faintly echoed.

"Oh no! Team Rocket again!" Julie panicked, "What do we do now?"

"OW!!!" yelled Daniel. He'd just bumped his head on Janett's boot. "What's up?"

"To me it's 'What's _down?'_. I'm stuck!" she flailed her legs, striking her partner in the face again. "I think my belt's caught on something..."

"Here, let me." Daniel faithfully unbuckled his partner's belt. Mistake, mistake. The duo free fell the rest of the way down the shaft. Janett landed first on a cot in the recovery room, followed shortly by her partner. Daniel had, however landed right on top of Janett!

"Ouch! You imbecile, get off of me!" she crowed.

Obediently, Daniel got off. "Looks like we're in the recovery room."

"Yes. Perfect." Janett sneered. "Now we can sneak up on them more easily..."

"Oh great, now what?" said Gloria.

"I don't know." Said Nurse Joy. "It'll take a few minutes for Officer Jenny to get here…"

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," said two perfectly synchronized voices.

"Oh no!" Gloria cried as two Team Rocket members, a man and a woman, leapt out of an overhead vent. "They're here already!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Janett!"

"Daniel!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"That's right!"

Janett gave an evil smirk to the trio. "Give them to us!!"

"W-what do you mean?" asked Joshua.

"That Bulbasaur-thing…"

"And the little Charmander thingy too." Daniel interrupted.

"Never!" Gloria cried from the pile of Pokéballs, "You are Team Rocket people! I know you would use Charchu and Bulbasquirt for your evil deeds!"

"Your pathetic plea bores me." Yawned Janett. "We have no other choice. Vileplume, go!" she tossed a Pokéball out onto the ground. Out of it popped…

"Plume! Plume!" squealed the Vileplume.

"Okay," said Gloria. "Go Persian!" she pointed to the cat Pokémon on her shoulder.

"Meow!" it purred as it leapt off and toward the Vileplume.

"Persian, Poison Powder!" Gloria casually yelled.

"Persian can't…" started Joshua just before a cloud of Poison Powder flew out of Persian's mouth, hitting a surprised Vileplume.

"Huh? Persian can't do that!" complained Janett.

"Yes it can." Gloria said. "It Mimicked the Vileplume's move. Come back Persian, Bulbasaur, Body Slam!"

"Get back here, Vileplume!" Janett yelled recalling the Poisoned Pokémon. Bulbasaur Slammed harmlessly on the ground. "Go Grimer!" a filthy blob of sludge popped out.

"Grimer!" it said.

"Get 'em Machamp!" said Daniel releasing his own Pokémon. A four-armed beast was revealed from the Pokéball.

"Ma-chammmmp!" it yelled proudly.

"Okay, I shall use two Pokémon too. Get em' Persian!" Gloria pointed to the frightened Pokémon.

"Meow!!!" it said happily as it ran toward the Grimer.

"Bulbasaur, use Cut!"

"Buuuulb!!!" Bulbasaur used Cut on the Grimer.

"Grime?" said the Grimer.

"Persian, use Acid!"

"Rower!!!" it meowed as it spat Acid at the Machamp.

"Hey! Machamp doesn't know Acid!" Daniel yelled.

"Metronome is a very useful move." Gloria said wickedly. "Bulbasaur, Mega Kick!"

"CHAMMMMMP!" the Machamp went flying across the room.

"Heh, heh. Nice one, Bulbasaur!" said Joshua.

"Bulb." Said the proud Pokémon.

"Grimer, Sludge attack now!" said an annoyed Janett.

"Grimerrrrrr!" it spat a wad of blinding Sludge at Persian.

"Meow!" it tried to wipe the Sludge from its eyes with its paw.

"Hahahahahahaha! Sorry, but I'm afrad we must be going. As a gift from Team Rocket…catch _this_!" said Janett throwing a bomb at the trio. "Adios!" she started to run out of the door, Daniel close behind.

"No!" Gloria cried. "Only a miracle can save us now!"

Little did this team know, a mysterious observer saw the trio's plight, and used a special thing to help them…

"Wha-?" said Janett as a yellow band of energy surrounded the team, causing the bomb to bounce off at the duo!

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!!!" Whined Daniel as the bomb blew them out of sight.

"What was that?" asked Nurse Joy.

"Reflect," replied Julie "none of our Pokémon know it yet."

"That means…whatever _did_ save us, it sure wasn't any of us…" 


	3. Double Trouble

Chapter Three: Double Trouble

"Well, this _was_ odd, indeed." Said Gloria, who still was trying to unbury herself. (She was still in the mountain of Pokéballs.) "C'mon. Help me out of here."

Soon in a matter of minutes, she was out. "Whew. Feels good to be out of there."

"Hey, isn't that the Pikachu you caught earlier?" asked Julie.

"Oh no! Get over here!" Gloria recalled her Persian, Bulbasquirt and Charchu. She ran after the Pikachu. It was walking down the hall as if it were hypnotized.

"What is it doing?" asked Joshua.

"That's a good question." Said Nurse Joy. "How it got out of its Pokéball in the first place still puzzles me…"

"Hey! Huff come puff back here!" panted Gloria, chasing her runaway Pikachu. The Pikachu stopped at the end of the hallway and turned around.

"What's wrong with you, little guy?" Gloria picked up the surprised Pokémon.

"PIKAPIIIII!!!"

"Hey, chill out. It's okay." Gloria petted its head. "Calm down."

She knew she shouldn't be speaking Pokémon in public, but she couldn't care less at the time. Being half-Pokémon herself gave hea an empathy toward them.

"Pikachu. Pi?" it said smiling.

"Ha, ha, ha. Don't like being in a Pokéball, do ya?" Gloria continued down the hall, gently calming Pikachu with her calm voice.

"Pika!" said the delighted mouse.

"Okay guys!" Gloria said holding her Pikachu in her arms. "I've got it."

"What's wrong with it?" asked Joshua.

"I don't think it likes being in a Pokéball." Said Gloria.

"Pi, pikachu!" the Pikachu leapt out of Gloria's arms.

"Man, I'm tired. I'm gonna' hit the sack early tonight." Julie yawned.

"Good idea." Gloria replied following Julie to the girl's dormitory.

As the girls went to bed, Julie said to Gloria "You never did tell me how you and Joshua met…"

"Later, Julie, later." Was Gloria's reply.

Gloria couldn't sleep for the life of her. She was silently debating whether or not to finally reveal the ultimate danger she posed just by being nearby. With a sigh of indecision, she rose from the bed and gazed solemnly out the window, letting the cool breeze kiss her face. She knew if she told, she'd be in danger, but if she didn't, they were in danger.

As if anything nowadays was easy…

The next morning…

"Where are you Joshua?" asked an annoyed Julie.

"Okay, okay! I'm here, I'm here!" yelled back Joshua, still half-asleep.

"Good. Let's get on with it." Gloria sighed. She then fell over when the door opened. (Because she had been leaning on it of course!)

"Ouch!" she said shaking her head. She got up, turned around and saw a boy standing in the door!

His short, dark brown hair was very well combed to one side of his head. He wore a dark blue cap. His deep brown eyes were serious looking. He wore a blue T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Also he wore a pair of old sneakers with white socks. He wore a backpack on his back as well as a black leather jacket. On his shoulder a Charmander was perched.

"Gloria?" he asked.

"Chris!?" Gloria asked at the same time. "What are _you_ doing here!?"

"That's _my_ question!!!" he replied straightening his cap.

"Did we miss something?" asked Joshua.

"He's my brother/rival Christopher." Gloria said. "He's always-Mrrrrrrrrrrrf!"

Chris clapped his hand on his sister's mouth. "Don't even _try_ saying it!"

"What, that your always a grou-? Ummph!"

"Scared to challenge you!? Not now. Gotta' heal my Pokémon ya' know!" Chris pushed Gloria aside.

"What a grouch." Julie grumbled.

"He's always like that." Gloria said with a snort of disgust. "Let's go while there's some daylight left."

The trio made their way out of the Pokécenter ready to go to the local Gym; they never saw the mysterious Pokémon following them…

Just in front of the Gym…

"What's going on here!?" asked Joshua. An enormous crowd of trainers stood around the entrance to the Gym, each one demanding a match.

"I'm sorry!" a voice from inside yelled. "Brock cannot fight if his Pokémon are stolen!"

"Team Rocket!" Julie growled. "They've done it again!"

"What kind of evil scheme have they concocted now?" Gloria asked.

Meanwhile…

"Oh man, this is too easy!" said Daniel, a sack full of Pokéballs over his shoulder. "Lure those brats into our trap, then steal their Pokémon, this is too good!"

"But we still need the 'bait'." Janett countered. "Something to get them in. Hence, _my_ plan…"

Back at the Gym…

"Now what?" asked Joshua. "We, can't fight, we can't go all the way back to Viridian City, what do we do now?"

"Well," Gloria suggested, "let's go to the Forest. There's bound to be some new Pokémon there."

The trio walked back into the forest, not noticing the two Team Rocket members slapping each other high-fives in the shadows…

Back in the Viridian Forest…

"Oh my… Gee this thing _is_ huge!" Gloria said staring at the enormous canyon below her. (The trio had taken a different route.) In the canyon a raging river flowed, which, according to rumor, was full of Seaking who loved to attack anyone/anything that entered its waters. Hence the name, Seaking River.

"You're telling me!" said Julie "That bridge there looks weak too…"

They knew however, that the bridge was the only way across the canyon.

"Let's go…" said a nervous Joshua as he started his way across the bridge…


	4. The Confession

Chapter Four: The Confession

"Wait…" said Julie stopping in the middle of the bridge.

"What's the matter?" asked Gloria. Joshua had already made it to the other side.

"I heard something crack- (scream! )" A plank of wood under Julie had snapped! Gloria rushed out and grabbed her hand.

"Don't look down!" she advised. "Joshua! Help me!"

Joshua tried to run over, but too late. The duo had tumbled over the edge of the bridge…

"NOOOOOOO!!!" he yelled taking an Escape Rope out of his backpack. He fastened it to a tree. "I'll save you…!"

Screaming, the two girls tumbled head over heels.

"Idea!" Gloria said grabbing a Pokéball out of her pocket. "I know you're weak little fella', but you have got to do it!" she released what was inside…

"Goldeen! Goldeen!" said the fish Pokémon.

"Surf, Goldeen, Surf!" Gloria commanded as they hit the water…

"Huff Gloria! Puff Julie! Where are you?!?!" Joshua called as he scanned the waves. He waded in the water for a better look. "To heck with the Seaking!" he thought. After all, he owed his pals one…

Meanwhile…

"Ow… Where are we?" Asked Julie. "Hey!! Gloria, where are ya'?"

"I'm over here…" she said weakly. Julie ran over to her friend. She gasped at what she saw. Gloria's dress was torn. Both of her shoes were missing. She had cuts and bruises all over herself. Gloria raised her head weakly, "Ouch…Fury Attack…Stupid Seaking… " She said.

"Whoa!" Joshua had been lifted from behind. "Put me… Yikes!" He realized he was being carried by an angry Seaking!

"Stop! Ouch! OUCH!!!" The Seaking's horn was poking him in the rear. "Put me down, NOW!!!"

"SEAKING!!!!!!" it stopped abruptly sending Joshua soaring toward the east coast of the river…

"Don't worry, Gloria." said Julie. "We'll get help…"

"Yahhhhhhhhhh!" a male voice yelled. Julie looked up to see Joshua flying toward the treetops!

"Hey!" Julie yelled as she ran a little ways to see where he landed. His backpack strap was caught on a tree limb.

"Guess I need _your_ help!" he said trying to squirm free. The limb broke and he fell down in a pile of leaves.

"I guess not!" he said the limb still caught in his strap. "You okay-? Yikes!"

"Gloria needs help, but we're stuck in the middle of the Viridian Forest! What do we do now?" said Julie worriedly.

"I'm glad I brought this!" Joshua pulled a cell phone out of his backpack. "Call for help," he said giving the phone to her. "I'll keep watch!"

Joshua paced up and down the hall in the three-story Viridian City Hospital. "Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't I have done something sooner?"

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Julie yelled. "You've said that for the past three hours! There's nothing we could have done…"

"You don't understand!" he snapped back. "She saved my life back by Saffron City…I have still yet to repay her for it too."

"What do you mean?" Julie asked. "Sit down for once and tell me all about it."

"Well…" he recalled his first encounter with Gloria in Saffron City. He remembered; it was one year, five months earlier, his Squirtle about ten levels lower.

He was walking out of the Pokémart, when he saw a girl leap out of a third-story window! She had landed in a bush and scurried away. He chased this mysterious girl, but she was too fast for him. He almost gave up when he saw who she running from, two Team Rocket members! (At that time, he didn't know their names.)

The two Rockets had her cornered in a dark, rarely used alley.

"Give up your belt!" the woman demanded. "NOW!"

"No!" the girl replied. "I know what you'd do with them…"

"So be it." Said the man. "Go Vileplume!"

"Leave her alone!" Joshua yelled. The Team Rockets turned toward Joshua.

"What business is it of yours?" demanded the man.

"I don't know, but if you don't leave her alone, I'll sic my Squirtle on ya'!"

The two looked at each other and laughed. "Hilarious…! " "Ooo my sides…!"

"HIIIIIIIIIYA!" the girl gave a high-heeled karate kick to the male Rocket, knocking him over. She then said to Joshua "Let's move it out of here!"

The woman just yelled back as they raced down the path, "I'll get you later, brat!"

When they could not see the Team Rockets, the girl spoke, "How can I ever thank you enough?"

"Think nothing of it." Joshua replied. "What's your name?"

"I'm Gloria Redwood. You are?"

"Joshua Carpenter. When I saw you leap out of that building, I knew you had to be in some kind of trouble."

"Hold on!" Julie said. "I thought she saved _your_ life."

"She did." Joshua said. "_That_ happened a little later."

He retold his encounter. He remembered he was hiking along Route 7, when he encountered a cliff.

Joshua knew the only way across was by roping the rocks on the other side and swinging over like Tarzan. So he took an Escape Rope out of his pack and roped a rock. As he swung from it, however, the rock broke loose and he fell to certain doom…

Certain that was, if it weren't for the fast thinking of Gloria. (She had been Flying to Celadon City on her Pidgeot.) She coincidentally had been Flying over the canyon when she saw this event occur. She swooped under Joshua and caught him as he fell.

"Long time, no see." She said with a smile.

"Say," Joshua said as they landed at the Celadon Mega Mart, " how's about you join me on my journey? "

"I was about to say something similar!" Gloria said with a grin.

"That's how it went." Joshua finished.

"I think I see how you feel, but you got to stop blaming yourself. There's nothing you or I could have done about it."

"Yeah, but if I could change the past…" Joshua said, his voice trailing off.


	5. Trade Time for Joshua

Chapter Five: Trade Time for Joshua

The next morning in the Girl's Room...

"Come on, sleepyhead!" Said an impatient Gloria. "You can't sleep all day!"

"Okay! I'm up! Sheesh. For one who was hurt like that, you sure got your spunk back quick!" Julie said still sleepy.

"Can we go now?"

"Where's Charmander?"

"I don't know."

"Not again!" Julie darted off in search of her runaway Pokémon. She found it, right next to Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Squirtle in the waiting room. Squirtle was under a chair, Bulbasaur was on top of the chair, and Pikachu was on top of a table, Charmander under it.

"At least it didn't cause a fire _again_." Said Gloria.

"I don't want to remember _that_." Julie grumbled looking a bit embarrassed at the comment.

The girls made their way to where Joshua sat. His hat was pulled over his eyes; he was fast asleep.

"Wake up, Joshua! Time to go!" Julie said.

"…Not now mom…" He grumbled, waving his arm at Julie half-heartedly.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle had sprayed Joshua in the face with its Water Gun.

"What the?!" Joshua picked up the turtle Pokémon. "Oh, it's you ya' little rascal!" the Squirtle sprayed him again. "Okay, okay!"

The girls giggled amongst themselves.

"Let's…go…before…Sleepyhead…falls…asleep…again!" Julie said between fits of laughter.

Joshua rolled his eyes and followed the girls out of the door.

Somewhere…

"YOU IDIOTIC FOOL!" Janett screamed in her partner's face. "You forgot to set the bomb!"

"Who's the idiot? I _did_ set the bomb _you_ made!" Daniel snorted. "Besides who's the one who buried it too far?"

"Never mind who's fault it is, we still have the net, right?"

In the Viridian Forest…

"OW!" Joshua bumped into someone else. "Oh no!" A Pokéball fell off of his belt and it revealed a…

"Meta?" said the Metapod.

The trainer's eyes grew wide. She raced to Joshua and helped him up. "A Metapod!?!? I've looked all over this forest, but I only found Caterpies, Kakunas, and Weedles! I'll trade you my Farfetch'd for your Metapod!"

"Well…" Joshua said brushing himself off.

"Oh. You wish to see my Farfetch'd. Okay, you showed me your Metapod, so it's only fair!" the lass took a Pokéball out of her pocket. Out of it came an odd duck-like Pokémon holding a plant stalk.

"Farfetch'd?" it squawked, cocking its head at Joshua in query.

"Well, how about it?" the lass said excitedly. "My Farfetch'd's level is forty-five!"

"Oh? My Metapod is level thirty-six." Joshua blushed. "It refused to evolve I gotta' warn you."

"I don't care. Well?"

Joshua didn't say anything for a minute. He finally replied, "Okay, I guess I will. I have a Caterpie in storage that will evolve soon anyway…"

"Gee thanks, thanks a lot! Here's the ball! See ya'!" the lass raced off, giving Joshua the Pokéball she had her Farfetch'd in, grabbing the Metapod and its ball, recalling it as she skipped down the path.

"My, my! She certainly _was_ excited over a Metapod!" said Gloria with a smile.

"Must have liked bug-types." Joshua replied.


	6. Concert

Chapter Six: Concert

"Whew," Julie sighed, "we're back again." She raced to the Pokécenter, but in her rush to get to the door, she ran into a group of six girls with odd hairstyles.

"AAIEEEEEE! Not you!" she wailed as she scurried off her back.

"Not so fast!" said one with blue hair, grabbing Julie by her ponytail. "Things are different now."

"Julie, do you know these girls?" asked Joshua.

"They're…they're my sisters…" Julie started.

"Allow me, Squirt!" one with blonde hair interrupted, pushing Julie aside roughly, "I'm Chelsea, the one with the porcupine hair is Daisy, the one with the blue hair is Lilly, the little one is Sarah, the one in the prom dress is Lynn and the one with green hair is Darlene."

"Pleasure to meet you all." Said Gloria.

"Sis, howzit goin'?" Darlene asked.

"I-I'm okay I guess…"

"Great!" Lilly said clapping her hands together. "You're gonna' sing at the concert. Cheryl came down with the flu…"

"WHAT?!?!" Me? Sing?! I can't sing worth anything! You know I'm tone deaf!" Julie wailed.

"Well, someone's gotta' do it." Daisy said blissfully.

"I'll do it!" Gloria volunteered.

"Are you sure, Missy?" Sarah asked.

"Of course I'm sure! I'll gladly take Cheryl's place."

"Wonderful!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Concert's tomorrow!"

The next day…

"I feel like a pom-pom in this thing!" Gloria said staring down in disdain at the red, frilly dress she had to wear.

"Don't be ridiculous! You look great!" the manager said. "Get out there and make us glad we sent you in!" With that he shoved her out from behind the curtain.

"Okay…just sing the songs…" she thought to herself as she walked out proudly onto the stage towards the microphone.

"Okay," she said into the microphone "my first song will be #67. Hit it boys!"

As the orchestra broke out into song she sung, "I wanna' be the very best, that no one ever-OUCH!" something tripped her.

The audience roared with laughter. Gloria tried again. "To catch them is my real test, to train them is my- HEY!"

Bulbasaur jumped up, stole the microphone with its vines and begun to "sing" into it to the tune of the music! "Bulba, bulba bulbasaur! Bulba bulba-BULB!"

A Charmander stole it from Bulbasaur and too started to sing. "Charmander char! Char charmander, charmander-CHARMANDER?"

By now the whole audience was howling in mirth. By this time Gloria took the microphone back and had to race around the stage to keep the Pokémon away from it.

The chorus had finished their lines for now, and it was Gloria's turn. "Every challenge along the way, with courage I will f- OW!" another Pokémon tripped her, a Pikachu!

Gloria gave up. She buried her face in her hands to hide her embarrassed face. She could hear the Pikachu singing, but she couldn't concentrate. Not only did she look like a red pom-pom in the frilly dress, she would look like a fool. A foolish pom-pom.

When the song ended she just ran off. She couldn't stand it anymore. 


	7. Playtime for Pikachu

**Chapter Seven: Playtime for Pikachu**

Gloria ran out the backstage door. She didn't care that she looked foolish like she did with her ponytail holder coming loose. She couldn't possibly look like an idiot more than she just did.

She tripped on a root of a tree or something, because next thing she knew she landed face first in the muddy ground. She tried to scurry to her feet but she fell again. Pikachu was holding onto both of her legs. Bulbasaur was laughing like crazy.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" she asked trying to pry the mouse Pokémon off her legs.

"PIIIIIIKAAAAAAA-" Pikachu started as it started to charge for a Thunder attack.

"Oh no!" Gloria started as she covered her head in an attempt to block the attack.

"Bulba!" her Bulbasaur had leapt in front of the Pikachu. "Bulb! Bulb, bulbasaur! Bulba-bulb!"

"Pi?!?" said Pikachu in pure surprise, stopping the attack cold and letting go of Gloria's legs. "Pik, Pika-pikapika-pikachu-pika-pi-PIKACHU!"

"Bulba? Bulb-bulb-bluba-saur-bulb-BULBASAUR!" Bulbasaur squealed back stepping towards Pikachu.

"PIKA?" Pikachu shot back, "Pikachu-pika-pi-pikachu-pika-pika-pi! PIKACHU!!!"

"BULB?" Bulbasaur yelled back "Bulbbulb bulbasaur bulba bulb, bulb BULBASAUR BULB!!!!!!"

Whatever that translated into in Poké-language, (Gloria wasn't paying attention to what they said) it must have been an insult, because Pikachu just Tuhndershocked Bulbasaur.

"Stop! Now!" Gloria commanded, but the Pokémon were too busy trying to settle the "argument". They circled each other looking neither vengeful, upset nor angry. They seemed to be-playing!?!?

"Bulbabulb!" Bulbasaur did a half-hearted Tackle on the Pikachu. It missed, landing on the ground with a thud. Pikachu laughed.

Gloria took her Pokédex out. "Maybe," she thought, "it has information on their behavior…"

"Pokémon usually fight only when instructed to do so by their trainer(s)," the Pokédex said as Pikachu Tackled Bulbasaur back, " but they sometimes fight each other to build skill, to see who is stronger, or to settle a disagreement. As long as other Pokémon and people are kept away from these 'play matches', this fighting is completely harmless, is a great way to sharpen their skills, and will not reduce their HP."

To Gloria, it made perfect sense. She sat down in the grass and watched the two Pokémon play, wondering if she could join them…

Meanwhile at the Concert Hall…

"Hey!" Julie said, "Where did Gloria go?"

"I thought I saw her go backstage. She didn't look too happy…" Joshua replied pointing toward the backstage entrance.

"If only I had checked the cages before the concert…" Julie sighed.

"Don't act like that!" Joshua yelled running to the door. "I forgot too…" Julie ran behind Joshua, Charmander and Squirtle followed closely behind her, each seeming very sorry for what they did…

Back in the grassy field…

"Hey! Come back here!" Gloria shouted. Pikachu had run off to a grassy hill. Bulbasaur followed Gloria as she chased Pikachu.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu squeaked pointing toward a group of people coming toward the Forest…

"Julie and Joshua, just who I need…" Gloria grumbled.

"Pika pi, pi pika! Pikachu pi pika pi pika!" Pikachu squeaked back.

"Translate for me, Bulbasaur." Gloria said.

Bulbasaur repeated the speech as " Bulbasaur bulb, bulb! Bulbasaur bulb bulba bulb bulba!"

"Oh, you want to show me something?"

"Pika," Pikachu ran off towards a cave "pi! Pikachu!" it pointed inside the cave.

"What do you want me to see in _there_?" Gloria asked puzzled.

"Pika, pi, pi chu! Pika, pika! Pi, pi, pi, pikachu!"

Bulbasaur repeated the speech again. "Bulb, bulba, bluba saur! Bulb, bulb! Bulba, bulba, bulba, bulbasaur!"

"You're saying you have a present to show me?" Gloria replied, surprised.

"Pi!" Pikachu ran inside the cavern, Gloria and Bulbasaur following it…


	8. Pikachu and the Secret Cave

Chapter Eight: Pikachu and the Secret Cave

"Pika, pi! Pika pi-pi-pi pika, pikachu!" Pikachu pointed to the widened opening of a room in the cavern.

"Bulb, bulba! Bulb bulba-bulba-bulba bulb, bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur repeated.

Gloria couldn't believe what she saw; an adult Raichu sat in the middle of the cavern, nudging a cute baby Pichu with its tail. Several more little Pichu and Raichu were circling Gloria's own Pikachu.

"I-I never knew you were a mother here too, Pikachu…" Gloria started.

"Pi pika, pika-pika. Pika pi, pi pikachu. Pi pikachu, pikachu pika pi pikachu?" Pikachu asked.

"Bulba bulb, bulb-bulb. Bulb bulba, bulba bulbasaur. Bulba bulbasaur, bulbasaur bulb bulba bulbasaur?" said Bulbasaur.

"What? You say Raichu here is your 'boyfriend', and the babies are yours? Of course you can bring them with us!" Gloria said crouching down and scratching Pikachu behind its ears, "I can't separate you from your best pal, now can I?"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt onto Gloria, hugging her around the legs.

Meanwhile, outside the caves…

"Hey! I just saw her! That skirt of hers is dead noticeable." Joshua said.

"Where did she race off to now?" Julie asked, looking behind her to check on the two Pokémon behind her.

"I don't know! I think she ran towards Evolution Mountain. Let's check there first. One could get lost easily in those old mines…" Joshua shook the thought off like a wet Poochyena. "Let's just hope we can find her…"

In the caves of Evolution Mountain…

"Let's find our way out of here. If I have to face Joshua and Julie again, all I'll get is jokes about the accident…" Gloria said, young Raichu and Pichu in her arms.

"Pi-pika pi! Pikachu pi!" said Pikachu excitedly. Once again, Bulbasaur "translated" the saying to Gloria.

"You know the way out? Lead the way, Pikachu!" Gloria said, stepping aside so Pikachu could lead the way.

"Pi pika pikachu pika!" Pikachu held up a shiny yellow thing, a raw Thunder Stone! "Pi pikachu pi-pi!"

"Huh? A Thunder Stone!? You want to evolve, Pikachu?"

"Pi, pi!" Pikachu shook its head. "Pikachu, pi, pi, pi pika pi!" Bulbasaur, once again, said the speech in a series of "bulba" s and "saur" s.

"Oh, I see. You want me to keep it for you." Gloria said with a smile.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded.

Back outside, just in front of the caves/old mines of Evolution Mountain…

"Hey, look at this!" Joshua was crouched down on the ground. "Paw prints!"

"It looks like a Pikachu's paw print." Julie said "C'mon! No time to lose!" she ran in the cave. Charmander rolled its eyes and followed its trainer. Joshua and Squirtle followed shortly after.

"Farfetch'd!" a duck-like Pokémon hung upside-down on a branch just in front of Joshua with a sprig of a plant in its beak, wings fully outspread!

"Hey! How'd _you_ get out?" Joshua recalled the crazy duck Pokémon.

"Farfetch'd!" it popped back out of the Pokéball.

"I said stay in!" He tossed the Pokéball at the Farfetch'd, but it ran off.

"Wark?" It squawked as it peeped out from behind a tree.

"Oh, you crazy bird! Get over here!" Joshua chased his Farfetch'd around the area but it was far too fast for him to catch.

"Oh, I give up!" Joshua said angrily "I'll leave _you_ out!" he grunted and continued, following Julie.

Somewhere else…

"Whew, finally. Out of that cave at last…" said Gloria.

"Rai!" Raichu squealed yanking on Gloria's dress, "Raichu! Raichu-rai!"

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Rai, raichu! Rai, rai!"

"PI!? Pika pi, pi pika?" said the Pikachu in shock.

Julie ran out of the cave. "I heard her! She's nearby!"

"What!? Let's move. We have something to say about the concert, don't we?" Joshua yelled racing out of the cave and ahead of Julie.

Gloria cocked her head. "I see. You hear something, Raichu?"

"Pi, pika pi, pi!" said Pikachu

"Bulba bulb bulba, bulba!" Bulbasaur warned, but it was too late. The Spearows were attacking…


	9. Attack of the Bird Pokemon

Chapter Nine: Attack of the Bird Pokémon

"I thought I heard something up ahead." Julie said

"Oh no! It's the noise an angry Spearow makes! It sounds like there's a lot of em'!" Joshua yelled "C'mon! She can't possibly fend all of them off by herself. If we work together we can do it!…I think."

"Oh no, is that what I think it is?" Gloria asked nervously and needlessly. A Spearow just dive-bombed Gloria on her head.

"Yeowch! Ouch! Hey what did we do to you? Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Raichu, you three let's get out of here! We can't fight em' all off alone…can we?"

"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRMANNNNNNNNDER!!!"

"What the-?" Gloria could've sworn she heard a Charmander's Flamethrower call.

"Squirtle, squirtle squirt!" Joshua's Squirtle just used its Surf on the Spearows.

"This can mean only one thing…" Gloria ran off towards where the Charmander call came from. She saw Julie and Joshua standing there a few yards away.

"Long time no see, bud!" Julie said with a smile on her face "As for those Spearows, if we can combine our Pokémon's attacks, we just might stun them for enough time to escape, I hope."

"There's only one way to find out. Raichu, Pikachu, Thunder! Bulbasaur, Solarbeam!" Gloria yelled.

"C'mon Charmander! Fire Blast!" Julie yelled at the same time as Joshua cried "Squirtle, finish em' off with a Hydro Pump!"

The combined power of the attacks sent all but one Spearow who lagged behind, fleeing.

The Spearow turned around and called out "SPEAROW!!! SPEAROW!!!"

"Uh-" Gloria started.

"-oh." Joshua finished

"Not good at all! Look!" Julie yelled over the Spearow's squawking, pointing at some strange birds…

"Oh no!" Fearows! Run for it!!!" Gloria said, scooping up her Pokémon as she ran. Julie and Joshua acted likewise.

Suddenly, out of nowhere it seemed, a massive wave of electrical energy sent the Fearows fleeing along with their stubborn Spearow buddy.

"Who…how did?…Huh?!?!" Joshua said.

"Nice job, Electabuzz! You too, Jolteon, but get back here!" Then there was the sound of a Jolteon.

"That voice…sounds so familiar…but…it can't be!" Gloria said trying to remember where she heard the voice before. "Hey, I remember you now!" Gloria finally remembered. "Michael!" she ran to the source of the voice. A boy about thirteen or so stood beyond the bushes.

He had short black hair poked under a red cap. His dark blue eyes told of one who never forgave easily. He wore a plain white T-shirt. He also wore a blue jacket, whose pockets bulged. Around his waist, a large waist pack hung. He wore new-looking blue jeans and a pair of equally new-looking tennis shoes. An Electabuzz stood proudly before him .An Eevee was hopping about happily beside him, seemingly pleased at his very presence.

"Gloria! Long time no see, eh pal?" Michael said coming out of the bushes, as he recalled his Electabuzz, his Eevee trotting happily along beside him.

"Michael, I just wanted to thank you. If Electabuzz hadn't used that Thunder Wave, we probably would've been Fearow-chow."

"No problem." Michael said picking up his Eevee, "I…oh who are they?" he asked pointing to Julie and Joshua.

"Joshua Carpenter of Saffron City."

"Julie Lanata of Lavender town here. Who're you?"

"Me? I'm Michael Doudi of Vermilion City. Nice to meet 'cha." Michael turned to Gloria "If it's okay with your friends, I'd enjoy joining your team." He looked at Gloria, "I need to repay you for days long gone."

"Fine with me! Julie, Joshua?"

"Go ahead."

"Your choice."

"Okay, then! Let's get the show on the road!" Michael said starting down the road, Gloria, Julie and Joshua following as well as their respective Pokémon.

Little did the trio now a quartet, know, Mew watched relieved. It knew if it hadn't summoned up the Thunder Wave out of the Electabuzz…no. It thought it was best not to think about such terrible things right now. It had a task to perform, even if it had to emerge in front of a human…

"Wait, I think I heard a Dodrio. And I think it's angry…!" Michael said turning around. About thirty Dodrios were coming straight for them! They looked extremely vengeful.

"Oh no! There's no way we can fight _that _many Dodrios, even if we tried! Let's get outta' here!!!" Joshua said, already running full-speed-ahead towards Pewter City, his Squirtle no farther behind. Gloria raced on, Pikachu, Raichu, and Bulbasaur not too far behind. (Okay, Pikachu was on her shoulder.) Julie started to run, turned back, grabbed Charmander, and followed the others as Michael acted similarly. Suddenly, an incredible Psychic force swept through the area, knocking everyone to the ground. Including our heroes.

Meanwhile, in the shadows not too far away…

"Good job, Hypno!" Janett said patting a pleased Hypno wearing an odd-looking helmet.

"Do you think it really worked?" Daniel asked as he let out a strange Pokémon with magnets on its sides.

"Mag-ne-mite! Magnemite!" it said in a flat monotone.

"Shut up!" Daniel hissed. "Stage Two now?" he asked as he held the frantic Pokémon back.

"Mag-mag-mag!" the Magnemite said repeatedly.

"Not yet. First we have to make sure Stage One was successful." Janett whispered as she recalled the Hypno and let out Grimer.

"Grimmmmmme-" it started before Janett poked her boot in its mouth.

"Not yet you Sludge-ball!" she snarled.

"Vee?" a voice squealed.

"Now look what you did! That Eevee is awake!" Daniel snapped.

"Me?!" Janett yelled back taking her boot out of the Grimer's mouth. "It was you who-"

"-errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!" The Grimer finished.

"Pika?"

"Bulbasaur!"

"Raichu!"

"Squirtle?"

"Charmander!"

"Farfetch'd?"

"Now see what you've done?!" Daniel yelled "Let's high-tail it outta' here!!!" They raced out of sight, Grimer and Magnemite following just as Gloria woke up.


	10. The Real Truth About Gloria

Chapter Ten: The Real Truth About Gloria

Gloria rubbed her eyes in confusion. She couldn't remember what had happened, only that some Dodrios were coming at her…

"Mewwwww…" a voice behind her purred softly.

She turned around. Nothing was behind her, save Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Raichu. She scratched the back of her neck, puzzled. She felt as if someone was guarding her, but had just now went off. She stood up. She knew sooner or later she would need to reveal her secret… But what if they left her? What would she do then? Or if they told…?

"Mmmm…" Julie sat up. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know." Gloria replied unsure if now was the right time. Something deep inside her told her that it was her fault they were in a mess like this.

"Where'd those Dodrios go?" Joshua asked picking up Squirtle. He looked about in a hurry.

"I don't know…" Gloria said lowering her head. "And I don't want to find out…

"I…I…I have something to admit to you three. I've kept this from you until now, but…" She stood straight and braced herself. "I'm… not really human. I'm a Pokémon…"

"Huh?!?" Michael said. "A Pokémon?!?!"

"That's bogus! Quit pulling our legs, Gloria!" This from Julie.

"Use your Pokédex on me, Joshua." Gloria said lowering her head.

"Wha-? But I-" Joshua started.

"Just do it and get this over with!" Gloria said guiltily, her voice serious. She turned away from them at that, face buried in her hands.

Joshua did as he was told. On his Pokédex, an extremely bizarre-looking, yet, in its own way, beautiful bird was shown.

"Illicuno," the Pokédex said, "a new species of Pokémon created in a freak laboratory accident. It uses its long tail as a paddle while swimming and as a rudder when flying. When not swimming or flying, it keeps its tail coiled like a watch spring." It hummed for a moment then beeped. "Experience scan indicates this Illicuno's level is sixteen."

Joshua looked over where Gloria stood, eyes agape in shock. He no longer saw the young lady he knew for so long, but an Illicuno. It had an extremely long tail (coiled into a circular shape right now), and large, powerful wings. Its beak was long and pointed, colored an orange-red and there was a long crest of feathers on its head, not unlike a sky-blue version of a Pigeot's. Its eyes glowed an odd fiery color. Its feathers were a warm, glowing blue color. Its talons were long and sharp looking, colored the same as its beak. Joshua looked at his Pokédex again. It said the Illicuno was 36' 4" tall, 54' 9" if you include the tail, with a wingspan of 39' 7" and weighing a lightweight (for it's size) 270 pounds.

"Whoa." Michael said, "Big bird."

In a flash of bright light, the Illicuno disappeared, replaced by Gloria again.

"I had happened to name the Pokémon that I had created three years ago, Illicuno." She said scuffing her feet and looking down timidly. "Before I tell you about that I must tell you about this.

"I, for some reason, was captured by Team Rocket. I guess they found out about how talented I am with science and technology, because they forced me to create things for them!" She shook her head and begun to cry a little. "Not just machines, but Pokémon too. It was just plain terrible, injecting bits of this and bits of that into all those poor Pokémon..." She paused for some time, trying to keep herself from crying further.

"One day, I created a specimen that actually survived. I named it Illicuno, because it looked similar to Articuno.

"I was just an ordinary kid…well, I guess as ordinary as I could have been at the time, until Team Rocket decided to try to clone my new Pokémon. Little did I know that the machine was glitchy and my 'assistant' didn't tell me!" She half-hissed half-chirped in anger, the noise echoing her fury in a frightening way. "…I was trying to clone my first Illicuno, when the machine went out of control and merged my body with the cloned Illicuno's! I managed to change myself to normal, but not totally. Now I am a two-in-one creature. After that, I flew away, vowing never to return. I happened to take Bulbasaur with me, my next 'victim'.

"I am now looking for the lab, so I can seek revenge, but I need some help fighting past the guards. Last time I told someone this, they ran away from me and tried to kill me, but think I can trust you. I…" She turned and started to leave in Illicuno form, a terrible pain in her flame-colored eyes.

"Wait!" Michael said. "Where are you going?"

"Away." Gloria replied, her human voice sounding strangely chirpy coming from her bird-like body. "Who needs a friend like me who has deceived you and lied all this time! Besides…well just look at me! I'm a freak! A monster! I'm a…a…" She burst into a paean of sobs and lowered her head in shame.

"We don't care if you were really an alien from outer space," Julie said trying to grab one of Gloria's wings, but only managing a tail feather, "we still care about you, right?"

"Right!" Joshua and Michael said together.

"R…really?" Gloria said, turning her head, a small gleam of hope in her sad, fiery eyes. This would be the first time anybody had offered to protect this monstrosity she knew was now herself.

"Really." Michael said, "In fact, I'm glad you told me. Don't worry; we'll keep this quiet, okay? I'll make sure of it."

"Okay, I guess that'll be okay with me. I was going to say 'keep this quiet' but you already answered to that. Now then," she sat down, still in Illicuno form, spreading her enormous wings, the distress and guilt still in her flame-colored eyes, "hop on. We still can get to Pewter City before dark if we hurry."

Joshua looked at Gloria puzzled then nodded his head. "There's something _I_ need to ask _you_."

"What's that?" Gloria asked turning her bird-like head again.

"Do you understand Pokémon language?"

"Yes I do. Why do you ask?" Gloria said cocking her head in such a way; Julie, Michael and Joshua had to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Gloria asked confused.

"I'm sorry. It was just the way you cocked your head…" Michael said, and then laughed again.

"Oh, you mean this?" Gloria cocked her head again. This time, Gloria turned her neck in such a way her entire head was upside-down! Julie, Michael and Joshua fell into fits of laughter. Gloria laughed too and then sat patiently. Finally after, about five minutes of laughter, they climbed on her back. Then she let Bulbasaur, Raichu, Charmander, Squirtle, Eevee and Pikachu climb on her back too (Farfetch'd wanted to fly by herself), and flew off towards Pewter City.

Meanwhile from a bush not too far away…

"Oh, man! Did…didjya' see _that_?!?" Daniel said his binoculars falling out of his hand. "She…transformed or something into that….that…bird-thingy!!!"

"Yes," Janett said as an evil smile crept across her face. "_and_ I've got the _perfect_ plan to get her. It's flawless! Here's what we do…"

It was dusk when Gloria landed at the Pewter City Pokémon Center. She let everyone off, then transformed into a human again.

"That flying made me tired." She yawned. "I'm going to bed. Coming?" With that, she walked into the Pokécenter Julie, Michael and Joshua not too far behind.


	11. Team Rocket's Revenge

Chapter Eleven: Team Rocket's Revenge

That night…

"Yes!" Janett whispered. "We've got her right where we want her!"

"Yup." Daniel said "So we wait by the skylight then ambush her when she least expects it. Right?"

"Of course, you dolt! Now, let's prepare shall we?" Janett commanded.

The following morning…

Gloria yawned and stretched out on her bed. Getting up, she called Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Raichu, and walked out of the room and down the hall. Just as she got to the end, the skylight above her shattered, and she screamed at who she saw leaping out of it…

"Huh?!?!?!" Michael raced down the hallway, still in his boxers. He could've sworn he'd heard a scream from the east hallway. When he got there he saw none other than Team Rocket's own Janett and Daniel! They'd ambushed Gloria and were holding her hostage.

"Hahahahahahaha! You're too late! You want her? Come and get her!" Janett yelled. Then the duo vanished in a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, there was nothing but a card with an R instead of an Ace. Michael shook his head. They'd done it again, this time practically under his nose!

"What's going on?" Asked Julie, Charmander on her back, poking its head out from behind her, worriedly.

"That $#%& Team Rocket has kidnapped Gloria! We…we've got to do something!" Michael replied. He was so upset that he didn't even notice his Eevee until it begun sniffing the playing card.

"Vee! Vee! Eevee! Eevee! Vee!!" it squealed excitedly, hopping up and down.

"Hey!" Michael pulled Eevee away. "You got a scent or something?" He tied an Escape Rope around the little guy's middle. "Show us!"

"Hey! I think we should wake up Joshua. I'd swear that boy could sleep through a hurricane." Julie commented, the second part in a half-undertone.

"Right. I'll wake him up, you call Officer Jenny." Michael said as he raced back down the hall.

"Hey, put me DOWN!!!" Gloria demanded. The duo had taken her into a tunnel somehow.

"Shut up, you little rat!" Daniel hissed. "We'll give you the scoop. You tell us how you …transformed, we'll let you and your 'pals' go without a scratch." He produced a small cage with a Bulbasaur, a Pikachu, and a Raichu inside of it. "If you resist, we'll find other ways... No drawbacks, no disadvantages, just that. How's that sound…?"

"No, no, and NO! I refuse…" Gloria hissed, a furious look on her face.

"Ooooo-kaaaaaaaaay." Janett said as she pulled a Pokéball out. "We'll see how you deal with THIS! Abra, go!"

A weird-looking Pokémon was released, wearing an even weirder looking helmet.

"Teleport, and this time don't fail!"

The Abra's eyes glowed and next thing Gloria knew, she was in a dark, smelly prison cell of some kind.

"Bullllllllllllllllllbaaaaaaaaaaasaurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" a voice cried from somewhere in her cell.

Gloria looked about. "Bulb, bulb bulbasaur!" she cried (I'm over here!). She hoped that was her Bulbasaur.

"Huh? You speak my language?!" The Bulbasaur asked.

"Yes. Where are ya'? Come here! It's me, Gloria!"

Out of the darkness, Bulbasaur came crawling to her, followed by Pikachu, and Raichu, their eyes showing fear and confusion.

"Shhh. It's going to be okay," she said picking Pikachu up and stroking its back. "We'll get out somehow. I don't know or care how, but we'll find a way…"

Back at the Pokécenter…

"Hey! Wake up!" Michael said shaking Joshua.

"Huh? What?" he said sleepily.

"Get up! We've got trouble! I'll tell you more later."

Joshua rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. "What's wrong?" He asked, "It sounds bad."

"Squirtle, squirt!" agreed Squirtle.

"Well," said Michael "let's just say Team Rocket's got Gloria, and we got to get her out of there!"

"WHAT?!?" said Joshua grabbing a still snoozing Farfetch'd off the bed and startling her. "Why didn't you say so?"

Back at Team Rocket's HQ…

"Oh great…Now what?" Gloria thought as a Kangaskhan opened the door.

"Come on." It said in English " There's not much time. I'll bust ya' outta' here in no time!"

"Huh?" Gloria said surprised. She never knew Pokémon could talk in English, much less adopt slang.

"SHSSHHHHH!" said the Kangaskhan. "You want the others to hear me?" It then grabbed Gloria and put her in its pouch.

"Uhhhh, could ya' get that Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Raichu too?" Gloria asked quietly.

"No problem. Just lie low and I'll do the rest." It replied as it grabbed Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Raichu one by one and put them in too. "KANGA! KANGA!" It said as it hopped down the hall.

"Hey! Shsssh! Slow down!" Gloria yelled.

"Sorry-KANGA! KANGA! No-KANGA! -Time." It said as if trying to hide the fact it could talk.

"Hey!"

"Oops. Busted." Said Kangaskhan.

"A-HA! Caught you red-pawed!" said Janett as she raced out of a door.

"Boo hiss." Gloria said with a groan, poking her head out of Kangaskhan's pouch.

"How'd _you_ get out of your cell anyway?" said Daniel.

"Forget that," Gloria said hopping out of the pouch, "I'm getting out of here, and YOU can't do anything to stop me!"

She grabbed Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Raichu and turned into an Illicuno. "Come and get me, if you can!" she stuck out her long, red tongue at them, made a flatulent sound, and ran down the hall, Kangaskhan following fast.

"After her!!!!!!" Daniel yelled, chasing Gloria and company.

"That's _my_ line!" Janett yelled back with a glower of impatience.


	12. The Mad Chikorita

Chapter Twelve: The Mad Chikorita

"What 'cha find, Eevee?" Michael asked picking up his Pokémon, who promptly jumped out of his arms.

"Vee! Eevee! Vee! Vee!" Eevee was bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Show us ol' boy!" Eevee then ran to a wall and squealed. "_Eee_vee!"

"What could be here?" Julie asked, absent-mindedly leaning on the wall. All of a sudden, the wall moved slightly.

"Julie…!" Joshua started.

"Huh?" Julie managed to get out before the wall swung sideways and Julie fell over.

"Ow." She said getting up. "Next time I lean on a wall…"

"No, no" said Michael "I'm glad you did. What's a secret passage doing here anyway?"

"Darned if _I_ know." Julie said "But I bet this is where they took Gloria. Let's check it out."

Back at the tunnels…

"Oh, oh. Dead end…" Gloria had run into an ending in the hall.

"Now we've got 'cha!" Daniel said triumphantly.

Gloria let out a very loud, very high-pitched chirp of anger and fear. If there was one thing she didn't want, it was to be caught by _them_. Just then, she got an idea. It was risky, sure, but she had no choice. Changing into her human form, she barreled past Janett and Daniel, running into an open room and slamming the door shut. Then she realized a fatal flaw in her plan. Not only was she in a hideous-looking lab of some sort, the lock to the door was on the outside…

"Hey! Hear that?" Joshua said cocking his head as if he couldn't believe he heard it.

"Gloria… C'mon, no time to waste! She sounded like she was in trouble!" Julie yelled as she ran down the corridor, Joshua and Michael following close.

"Ha! Foolish creature." Janett said as she locked the door to the room Gloria had run into. "She practically _gave_ herself to us!"

"Yeah, no kidding." Daniel sneered. "The Boss will surely give us a _big_ bonus for _this_!!!" As the duo went back down the hall, they never noticed that Daniel had dropped the keys.

"Hey! Let go of me!!!" Gloria yelled as she was grabbed from behind. Whoever/whatever grabbed her, threw her against the door. "Wha-?" she said in surprise as she recognized a Pokémon behind her: a Chikorita!

"Chikori?" said Chikorita. "Chiko_RI_ta, chiko!"

Gloria sighed in relief. Only a Chikorita! How could she be frightened over a-?

"CHIKO!!!" Chikorita grabbed Gloria with his/her vines and tossed Gloria against the door!

"Ow, ow, OW! Stop that! OUCH!!!!!!" Gloria wailed as Chikorita continued to toss Gloria at the door.

BANG!

"Huh? What's that sound?" Julie wondered aloud.

"It came from that door!" Michael said pointing at the door to his left.

"Hey! Let me go!!! Put me down-OW!"

****BANG-BANG!

"Gloria! She's in there!" Joshua said jumping back from the door.

"Chiko-chikorita!"

BANG-BANG-BANG!

"Is she trying to break it down?" Joshua wondered.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

"I think that Chikorita is using her as a battering ram?!?!?!" Michael yelled in surprise.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-crash! The door split at the side by the doorknob and Gloria flew out, slamming against the wall!

"Pika, pi!"

"Rai, rai, rai!"

"Bulbasaur!" Gloria's Pikachu ran by, followed by Bulbasaur and Raichu.

"What on-? She's out cold!" Joshua said from Gloria's side.

"CHIKORITA!!!" Chikorita jumped out the door.

"Is…that…the…Chikorita…!?!?" Julie said nervously.

"Chiko_ri_!" it whipped out its vines.

"Vee!" Eevee leapt out and Tackled Chikorita!

"Way to go, Evester!" Michael cheered.

"Vee…EEVEE!!!" Eevee used its Swift attack.

"Chik!!!" Chikorita wailed as it staggered back.

"Now's our chance!" Joshua yelled, carrying Gloria in his arms. "Let's go while Chikorita's stunned!" He took off racing down the halls, while the others followed his cue. (Yup, the Pokémon too. [Except Chikorita.])

Meanwhile at the Boss' office…

"Oh, Boss! Booooooss! Have we got some news for _you_!" Daniel yelled as he burst through the door.

"What is it? This had better be worth my trouble." The Boss said.

"Meow!" Said the Persian on his lap.

"It's about the Pokémon-lady. We got her!" Janett said.

"Oh, now you're joking. LEAVE HERE!!!" Boss turned his chair away from the duo, his Persian hissing in contempt.

"But, Boss!" Daniel whimpered. "It's for _real this_ time. Come, I'll _prove_ it!" With that, he ran out the door.

Janett shook her head. "Forgive him, Boss. He's been jumpy ever since we found her." Janett replied smoothly. Then she followed her partner out the door, Boss trailing reluctantly with his pet close behind him.

Back outside the secret door…

"How is she doing?" Michael asked.

"She may have broken a few bones, other than that she's fine." Joshua replied. He set Gloria down against the wall. "I studied to be a doctor, y'know."

"Good thing we lost that crazy Chikorita." Julie said. "But it didn't seem angry or anything…it attacked as if it was ordered to do so…"

"I wouldn't be surprised, considering how low Team Rocket has sunk in the past few years." Michael observed.

"Well, I've called the police and an ambulance. They should be here in no time…Huh?" Joshua said. He thought he saw the tip of a long, hairless tail poke out of the edge of Gloria's skirt. "Is it just me, or does Gloria have a _tail!?_"

Back in the passage…

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!" The Boss roared as he set his eyes on the wrecked door. "This better have a good explanation!!"

"What? Did she…?" Janett said curiously. Just then, Chikorita leapt out of the door.

"Uh-oh. The guard…!" Daniel squeaked. "RUN!!!"

"Chiko-chiko-chik!!!" Chikorita chirped as it ran after the trio, flailing its vines wildly.

Back outside…

"I don't believe it!" Julie said as if puzzled. "I thought she could trust us."

"Maybe," Michael said, "she didn't know whether to fully trust us or not. I would be like that too if _I_ had been through what she has."

"Now isn't the time to discuss this!" Joshua interrupted. "We've gotta' do something to hide. We can't let _them_ catch us!"

"He's got a point. What do we-?" Julie started.

"CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKOOOOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITA!!!" a familiar voice cried from down the hall.

"What the…_yipe_! Its that nutty Chikorita!" Michael yelled after peering down the secret passage.

"Chi-chi-chi…CHIKO!" Chikorita wailed as it ran out of the passage and behind Joshua.

"Huh? I-I think its scared…" He said cautiously.

"Chik" Chikorita squeaked softly. "Chikoritaaa…"

"Squirt squirtle squirt. Squirt-squirt." Squirtle said.

"…Squirtle says Chikorita's scared and wants us to take her with us!" Joshua replied. "But why did it…?"

"Chikorita. Chik-chik chikorita…chiko chikorita…"

Squirtle again repeated what Chikorita said. Joshua was silent for a while, and then he said. "She says Chikorita was ordered to attack any intruders. But when Chikorita's Master found her, he beat her! I guess that's why she's running away…"

Later, at the Pewter City hospital…

"Is she all right?" Michael asked as Joshua came from down the hall and into the waiting room.

"She's okay, surprisingly. I'd have expected worse, but it turns out she's going to be just fine."

"Which room is she in?"

"Number 134."

"Thanks, buddy." Michael went down the hall, his target, Room 134. He had to have a little talk with Gloria…

"You're_ all_ fools! If you had meant the truth, you should have taken better caution capturing her!!!"

"Boss!? You don't mean you'll…" Janett wailed.

"It's coming out of your paycheck! The only reason I don't fire you dolts is because when you do succeed, you do a fairly decent job. Now…GET OUT!!!" Boss yelled, turning red with rage and slamming his fists on the desk in an impressive display of anger. The duo fled, more than a bit bothered at Boss's anger.

"Gloria?" Michael called as he entered Room 134.

"M…Michael? Is that you?" Gloria called out.

"Oh! You're awake! I'm so glad you're all right…" Michael said, kneeling down by the bed. "My goodness…she's so beautiful…" He mumbled.

"Is there something you needed to talk to me about?" Gloria asked, propping herself up with one arm. "You have that look on your face…"

"Its now or never…" Michael thought. He then spoke, "Gloria…ever since you left me in Saffron City, nothing's been the same. I feel like there's a big, gaping hole in my life. I…I've missed you so much…"

Gloria blinked and smiled gently at him. She never knew he cared that much about her. "I…missed you too, Michael…" A long silence penetrated the room as the two friends met eyes.

"I…" Michael paused for a while just staring into her beautiful, auburn eyes. "I…I love you Gloria…you're the most gorgeous girl I ever met…if every tree in every forest could talk, they would not be able to tell you how much I love you…"

Her jaw dropped open. After a short hesitation she replied, "Michael, how can you love a freak like me…?"

"Nonsense! Your…oddities…only make you more beautiful…especially your tail…"

"Oh-oh. Hee, hee, hee! I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh? I've had this tail ever since the incident." Their eyes met each other yet again in the stillness.

"By the way," Michael said, abruptly breaking the quiet, " that Chikorita wants to join us…"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! No, not that Chikorita!!!" she scuttled to the other side of the bed in terror, wide-eyed. "I'd never-"

"Please! She said she's sorry and she wants to run away from Team Rocket. I have a friend here who can hold your extra Pokémon if you want." He shrugged. "Or I can take it for you…"

Gloria thought for a moment then relaxed. "Thank you, Michael. Thank you. By the way, in my pack is a bag. In this bag are the Pokémon Team Rocket stole from Brock. If you will, please return the Pokémon to Brock for me."

"Sure thing." Said Michael as he searched the pack. Taking the sack with him, he waved at Gloria, a dreamy look on his face, as he left.


	13. The Pokemon Race

Chapter Thirteen: The Pokémon Race

The next day…

"Oh, come on! Please? I'm sure you'll win it!" Julie pleaded as she showed Gloria a poster advertising the annual Pokémon race

"Uh-uh. I can't reveal my…" Gloria said sharply.

"Oh, please? You can pretend to belong to me. Of course, you'll get the prize, but can we, huh, huh, huh?"

Sigh. Okay, you win. But you better keep your word, okay?" Gloria said in defeat. Arguing with Julie was like arguing with a brick.

"Yay! Let's go! Registration times are almost up!" Julie said excitedly.

"Well, looks like _someone's_ excited about the Race." Joshua commented.

"You bet 'cha! The grand prize is 5,000$!!!" Julie exclaimed.

"Yowza! That's a lot of money!!!" Michael said. "Now I see why you're so perky."

"So let's move! No time to waste!" With that, Julie raced out the door. Gloria sighed and with a shrug, followed her friends.

Somewhere else…

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! She just walked right into it!" Daniel yelled.

"Hahahahahahaha! Am I a genius or am I a genius? Get into position!" Janett crowed proudly.

At the Race track…

"I still can't believe what I'm up against…" Gloria thought as she sat self-assured, poised in Illicuno form, looking about at her competitors. They were: a male Rapidash, a Nidoqueen, a Nidoking, a male Hoothoot, a male Murkrow, a male Umbreon, a female Xatu, a female Dunsparce and a female Pidgeot. She was mostly unimpressed by the opponents.

"And remember:" a voice blared on the intercom, "any and all fighting moves except Flying are banned. Any Pokémon caught using any fighting moves except Fly will be disqualified. No trainer interference is allowed, but, of course, cheer all you wish. We hope you enjoy your stay at the twenty-third annual Pokémon Race!"

"It starts…" Gloria thought as she stretched out her long wings.

"We're rooting for ya', Illicuno!" Michael yelled from the stands.

"Awk!" she chirped back.

"On your mark…" Gloria pulled her wings back.

"Get set…" she bent forward, preparing to fly. She scratched at the ground with one talon, ready to take off at the signal…

"GO!" Gloria took off, leaving all the others behind, even the Rapidash.

"Now! Release the net!!!" Janett hissed from the back of her Golbat.

"Commin' at 'cha!" Daniel released the net.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWK!!!" Gloria squawked as she crashed beak-first into the net. She tried to scuttle backwards, but the net had closed around her.

"Hahahahahahaha! Now we've got her!" Daniel cackled.

"Oh no! I shouldn't have been Flying so fast…" Gloria thought as she tried to squirm free of the net. Suddenly, all the other Pokémon came racing down the track, knocking the net out of the Golbat's claws. Gloria then struggled her way free. Flapping furiously, she flew faster and faster, trying to beat the fastest known Pokémon, Rapidash.

"Huh?! I should've known! Team Rocket!" Joshua growled in anger.

"It's okay! She worked it out nicely anyway. What matters is that Gloria's fine and she didn't get caught. Who knows, she still might win…" Michael said as he watched Gloria race.

"Ohhhhhh! I can't look! Too suspenseful…" Julie yelled, burying her face in her hands. Joshua rolled his eyes at Julie.

"And…Illicuno wins by a feather! What a race, what _A_ race!" the announcer declared as Gloria passed the finish line a scant second before Rapidash.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Way to go, Illicuno!!!!!!" Julie blared as she heard the announcer.

Later…

"Whoa! Some race!" Gloria declared as she walked out of the stadium.

"See! I _told_ ya' it would be fun!" Julie said gleefully.

"Well, it _was _kinda fun." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "We might as well go to the Gym. No, I am _not_ using my you-know-what!!!" Gloria said quickly with a hiss. "Let's go."


	14. Battle With Brock

Chapter Fourteen: Battle with Brock

Some time later, at the Gym…

"Well, who's gonna' be first?" Michael asked.

"I would if that's okay…" Gloria said.

"Okay, I've got dibs on the next match!" Julie claimed.

"I'll go next." Joshua answered.

"I'll be last. Not that I mind, thank you!" Michael added.

"Let's get this started. I can't wait to strut my stuff!" Julie said excitedly. She went to the door and knocked. Someone murmured behind it and a single blue eye peered in the peephole.

"Huh? You with the black hair…"a young kid opened the door. "HEY, BROCK! THEY'RE HERE!" He yelled behind him.

"Go ahead and let them in!" I'm a little busy…" Brock yelled back.

"Oh. Come on in, you heard Brock He's a little busy…"The kid moved out of the way. The party then entered the Gym. They soon saw Brock _was_ busy…fighting Pokémon with none other than…

"Chris?!?" Gloria called out.

Chris turned around. "Hey, Gloria! I heard all about that fiasco with Team Rocket and how they captured you…that was so _weird_! I can't talk right now! I'm about to be victorious once again!" he turned back to the fight between his Charmander and Brock's Geodude.

Gloria rolled her eyes and took a seat at one of the many chairs that lined the hall. "You might wanna' sit down too. Chris makes a point of taking an exceptionally long time when he fights a Gym Leader…"

Somewhere else…

"Oh, great, just _perfect_!!!" Janett lamented. "Our pay's been cut, _and_ its all _her_ fault!!"

"Yeah, if she had cooperated instead of struggling like a fool, we'd be _rich_!! We'd have enough money to _swim_ in!!!" Daniel agreed.

"Swim? Daniel, you're brilliant for inspiring my next move!"

"Swim?! _I_ said that? Oh geez. Me and my big mouth…" Daniel shook his head.

At the Gym…

"I can't believe I lost…" Chris mumbled.

"Hey, its like I've said before, Getting too cocky over a battle has its prices." Gloria said calmly.

"If _I_ can't beat Brock, what makes you think _you_ can?!?!?" Chris snapped. Gloria was taken aback by his outburst. "Besides, you lost to him last time, and Bulbasaur doesn't look _any_ stronger than he did last time! I'll challenge _you_ after you lose!!" He stormed out the door, red with anger.

"Is he always like that when he loses?" Joshua asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Gloria said, "He's incredibly stubborn and cranky after he is beaten…"

"Ah, welcome!" Brock announced, "You're the ones who helped me get my Pokémon back, right? Just for that, I'll let you have the first move. But remember, I won't hold back like I did for the wimp before me!"

"I'll be happy to challenge you first!" Gloria declared stepping forward.

"My, my, my, _you're_ quite a vixen…" Brock half-mumbled.

"Don't even try." Michael said overhearing Brock's mumble. "She's _mine_!" Brock cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, I'll choose…Bulbasaur! Don't fail me now!" Gloria announced pointing to the green Pokémon behind her.

"Pika…" said Pikachu.

"Hey, it's okay." Gloria whispered to Pikachu. "Electric moves aren't very good against Rock-Types."

"Pi!" Pikachu said suddenly cheering up. Chickorita swished her leaf, but seemed content to wait this one out.

"Hmmm, hmmm." Said Brock. "A Grass-Type, eh? Well, Onix, go!" Brock announced letting his Onix loose.

"RRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!" The Onix bellowed menacingly.

"Bulbasaurrrr!" Bulbasaur yelled back. He (Bulbasaur) didn't seem afraid at all, despite the fact that the Onix loomed so much higher above him.

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip!" Gloria commanded.

"Bulbbulb!" Bulbasaur threw out his vines, smacking the Onix hard.

"RRRR…" Onix roared. It was obvious it was weak.

"Okay! Onix, use Bind!" Onix wrapped its long body around Bulbasaur, squeezing hard.

"BULLLLLLLLLLLLLB!!!" Wailed Bulbasaur.

"Don't give up yet! Use Solarbeam!!"

"BULLLLLLB…AAAAAA…SAUR!!!!!!" A flower popped out of Bulbasaur's "bulb."

"Oh, oh…Onix, Rage!!!" Onix glowed bright red for a moment, then let loose a beam of anger-caused energy.

"BULBBBBBB!" Bulbasaur wailed. The beam had taken quite a toll on him, but Bulbasaur didn't give in. Instead, he let loose the solar energy he was storing, retracting the flower.

"RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!" Onix bellowed as it fainted, releasing Bulbasaur in the process.

"My, my! You fight just as lovely as you look! Go Geodude!"

"Geoduuuuuuuude!" said the Rock-Type.

"I'll keep using Bulbasaur." Gloria said.

"Are you sure?" Brock asked.

"Of course! Bring it on!" Gloria replied.

"If you insist."

"Bulbasaur, try Leech Seed!"

"Bulbasaur!" A flood of Leech Seeds flew out of his bulb, striking Geodude many times. Then they flashed, sending a ball of energy to Bulbasaur.

"Hmmm…Geodude, Rock Smash!" Geodude picked up a rock out of nowhere and threw it at Bulbasaur!

"Bulba, bulba!" He cried as he shook his head. The Leech Seeds sent another ball of energy to Bulbasaur.

"Do Vine Whip again!"

"Bulb!" He thrashed Geodude with his vines.

"Dude!" Geodude cried. It was definitely getting weak. Once again the Leech Seeds drained Geodude. It fainted at that.

"Whoa! That little Bulbasaur packs quite a big punch! Go for it, Mankey!" Brock commented as he let his Mankey out.

"Rkeeeeeeeeeee!" Screamed the Mankey.

"Bulbasaur, Solarbeam!" Once again, the flower popped out of Bulbasaur's bulb.

"Mankey, Bide!" Mankey started to glow red. Shortly after, Bulbasaur released his energy and pulled back the flower.

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" Mankey screeched.

"Bulbasaur, quick! Tackle 'im!" Bulbasaur obediently tried Tackling Mankey.

"RKEEEEEEEE!" Mankey howled. Then it released its stored Biding energy on Bulbasaur.

"BULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLB!!!!!!" Bulbasaur cried out. He was definitely weaker now.

"Please, don't let me down just yet! Use Razor Leaf! C'mon! You can do it!" Gloria shouted.

"BULLBBBBBBBBBBB!!!" Bulbasaur threw out a flurry of leaves, hitting Mankey and making it faint.

"Wow! Nobody's _ever_ beaten me with a single Pokémon before!" Brock said in surprise as he recalled his Mankey. "You definitely deserve the Rock Badge!"

At a nearby lake…

"Ptui!" Daniel spat his snorkel out as he popped his head out from beneath a lily pad. "Why do I always gotta' do the dirty work?!"

"Get down and be quiet!" Janett hissed from behind a bush, pushing Daniel back underwater. "She'll come any minute now."

At the Pokécenter…

"How's Bulbasaur doing?" Gloria asked. She hoped it wouldn't take too long.

"Oh, he's doing very well. He wasn't hurt too badly and he's recovering very well." Nurse Joy replied.

"Blissey!"

"Huh?" Gloria said. She never expected a Blissey at a Pokécenter. A Blissey hopped on the counter, waving its arms before Nurse Joy took it off.

"I always have to keep an eye on Blissey. She's a bit slow on the uptake as you can see, but you oughta' see her heal a Pokémon!"


	15. Chris's Challenge

Chapter Fifteen: Chris's Challenge

"Oh! Geez, don't scare me like that!!" Gloria scolded after Chris yelled "Boo!"

" Bwa ha, ha, ha! So sorry! Giggle! " Chris snickered, laughing at his own joke. "I see you've beaten Brock. You didn't use Rare Candy did you?"

Gloria shook her head, her ponytail swishing. "What made you think that?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "You won with Bulbasaur alone!!! How else could you've done that without cheating?!?!"

"Easy," Gloria grinned. "I train a whole lot! Don't you?"

"Grrr…" Chris growled. "I don't wanna' talk anymore!! I wanna' fight! One-on-one!!!"

"Whoa! Calm down! Let's go outside. Then we'll fight." Gloria said quickly.

At the pond…

"You FOOL!!!" Janett yelled loudly, "You didn't fire the Electro-Net!"

"But, Janett! I _did_ fire!" Daniel yelled holding out the gun to give it to Janett. "I think it's broken…"

Janett grabbed the gun and pulled the trigger only to have the gun fire back in her face. "Argh, you dork! You put the net in backwards!!!"

Outside the Pokécenter…

"Which Pokémon will you use, Chris?" Gloria asked, holding Bulbasaur in her arms.

"Psh! What else? Charmander!" Chris sneered as Charmander hopped off his shoulder.

"Well, _I'll_ use Bulbasaur!"

"Bad idea. Bulbasaur's a Grass-Type! Charmander's gonna' roast him!!" Chris warned giggling as he did.

"Not if I can help it!"

"If you insist." Chris said darkly. "Let's party! Charmander, use Flamethrower!" Charmander blew out a stream of fire, which ended up missing Bulbasaur!

Gloria snickered. "Gee whiz! That was weak. Bulbasaur, use Solarbeam!!" The flower popped out, absorbing energy.

"Oh-oh. Quick, use Fire Blast!!!" Chris commanded. Charmander then spat out a huge pillar of flame. It hit, causing Bulbasaur to stagger back Then Bulbasaur released his stored energy, the flower vanishing into his bulb. Charmander was _really_ weak now.

"Heh, heh, heh. It ain't over yet! Charmander, Disable!"

Gloria got a sudden idea. "Quick, counter with Disable!!" Gloria said quickly. Just as Charmander fired a bright blue beam at Bulbasaur, he fired one of his own. The two beams collided with each other, casting a blue light all around.

"Increase power, Charmander! Don't let me down!!" Chris roared, obviously furious.

"Char?" said Charmander. Its beam turned a darker shade of blue. Bulbasaur retaliated by strengthening his beam too.

"C'mon you lazy lizard! Full power!! I want that Bulbasaur down! Unconscious! Out cold! Comatose! Spent! Down for the count! Make him faint NOW!!!" Chris bellowed.

"Charrrrr…" Charmander mumbled. It was starting to get dizzy. It made the mistake of looking directly into Bulbasaur's eyes. It saw its reflection and its own beam bounced back empowered by Bulbasaur's own. Charmander fainted at that with a "CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!" of pain.

"Grrr…%#$% !!! Why me??? WHY?!?!?!" Chris yelled, grabbing Charmander and running back in the Pokécenter.

"Bravo!" Someone said behind Gloria. She turned around and she saw Julie, Michael, and Joshua standing a ways back.

"Great job, Gloria!" Julie said, clapping her hands. "You're a very good trainer!"

"Actually, Chris is not very good. He raises Charmander with Rare Candy a lot. A Pokémon raised with a lot of Rare Candies rarely believes in itself."

"I can believe it." Julie replied.

Later, at the roadhouse between Pewter City and Route 3…

"What!? Bandits?!?" Joshua asked.

"Ghgh! You think I'd lie to you on a matter like this?!?!" the guard snapped back. "Mark my words, they're everywhere! Stranger yet, they're naught but a bunch of little kids!"

"Hmmm… We'll just be careful then, right?" Julie said.

"Right. Keep your money hidden and your hands on your valuables." Gloria suggested. "Michael! Take your hands out of your pants!!"

"I'm just following orders…" Michael replied with a shrug. Gloria half-suppressed a grin, Joshua made a kind of snort and burst out laughing, and Julie stood confused.

"What? I don't get it…" Julie muttered. Joshua whispered something in Julie's ear and she giggled a bit. "Oh, you _animal_! Gross joke, but hilarious! Have you considered being a stand-up comedian?"

Michael grinned broadly. "Nothing big, although I was a class-clown in school." He shrugged innocently. "Comes with the territory.

"Kids…" the guard mumbled as he watched the party go out the door. "I'll _never_ understand 'em…"

"Well, we'd best keep our eyes peeled." Michael said. "We never know when they'll-"

"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGE!!!!!" Someone yelled. A bunch of little kids raced out of the tall grass, all between the ages of seven and eleven. Every one of them, save one who lead the others, carried water-balloon slingshots and wore a belt with lots of pre-filled balloons on them.

"Hey, you!" The slingshot-less kid said, "Yeah, you!! This is _our_ territory! Pay up, or feel the wrath of the Dragon Clan!" The other kids pulled their slingshots back as she held out her hand as if expecting a payment.

"What?!" Joshua said surprised, "Since _when_ did you all of a sudden gain power over this area?!? Stand back!"

"Hear that?!" The girl yelled at the others, "They refuse to pay the fee!! FIRE AT WILL!!!!" A barrage of water-balloons flew through the air, some missing their targets, most hitting the team!

"Hey! What's the big idea??"

"Stop that! Ouch, ouch!"

"You ruined my hairdo!"

"_Ow_, that stings!!!"

"Ready to pay up?" the girl asked.

"I demand to know the reason for this!!!" Gloria declared, shaking her head, making water fly in all directions.

"Reason? Oh boy, we've got a dull one on our hands." The girl turned to her "gang". "Retreat for now! Restock and prepare for Plan A!" a smoke bomb went off from somewhere, and when it cleared they were gone.

"Dragon Clan?!" Julie blared. "Can this be the same 'Dragon Clan' that kidnapped my brother so long ago?!?!"

"I dunno, but we'd best move it along." Gloria said turning into her Illicuno form. "Hop on, everyone! I'll Fly you to Cerulean City!"

A short while later…

"Awk!!! What the-?!" Gloria chirped. A rock flew out and struck her in the right wing. A Fearow rose from below and on it was that bratty girl!

"Heh. Nice try, but not good enough to stop Lucy of the Dragon Clan!!" She yelled as she tossed a net on Gloria. "Your stubbornness will cost you your freedom!"

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWK!!!!!!" Gloria screeched as she vainly tried to squirm free, but the net closed tighter, nearly pinning her wings to her body.

"Hee, hee, hee! Looks like I'll have to 'loosen up'! Ha!" Lucy snickered as she loosened the net.

"Awk?! Chirp, chirp, chirp!!! " Gloria squawked. She didn't dare talk right now.

"What're you trying to do to us?!?!" Julie screamed, pinned down by the net.

"Oh, give it up already! Don't you see that I control your very fate at this moment?"

"Wanna' bet?" Gloria thought, seething with anger. It made her furious to be held by a seven-year old, but she had an idea. It was a little dangerous, but what other way was there, to get caught by a gang of toddlers?! She all of a sudden took off at high speed, zipping right past Lucy.

"Hang on, everyone! I'm gonna' go _real_ fast!" she warned. True to her words, she flew full-speed, the wind causing the net to fly right off her as she did. Within a matter of mere seconds, they had left Lucy far behind.

In the tall grass below…

"That was _nuts_!" Daniel yelled peering into his binoculars.

"Hmmm… Perhaps we could use those pipsqueaks to our advantage." Janett said. "Get into the disguise, 'cause we're gonna' do some _major_ 'work'!"

Further down Route 3…

"Oi! Gee, _that_ was odd." Julie commented.

"Sigh. No kidding. Look at me! My feathers are all ruffled…" Gloria complained as she tried to straighten out her feathers with her beak.

High above, Mew watched silently. It was clearly impressed at the bird-person's power and intelligence. It knew this bird-lady already showed the power of a Pokémon twice the bird's own. "Maybe," Mew thought as it flew closer, "someday this bird could be strong enough to challenge me." Only time and fate could tell when, where, and if it would ever happen…


	16. The Spinarak's Lair

Chapter Sixteen: The Spinarak's Lair

Later…

"Hey, any of you good trainers?" Asked a blonde-haired boy who met up with the party on the path.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Julie questioned.

"I'm Keith! I'm a good trainer!" He spun a Pokéball on his finger like a basketball. "Who wants ta' party?"

"Show-off." Gloria thought. She then said, "Let's see if your might is as good as your mouth. I'll be happy to fight!"

"Oooh! Cutie wants ta' fight me!" He jeered. "Let's get it on! Better have Revive with you!" Keith said cockily. "Go get 'em, Rapidash!" He grabbed the Pokéball out of mid-air and let loose a horse with a flaming mane and tail.

"Ok. I'll choose… Pikachu!" Gloria yelled.

"Pika-pi!" Squeaked Pikachu.

"Ha! A Pikachu! No match for my Rapidash! Fire spin!" Rapidash spewed a column of flames. This move would've been devastating, had it actually hit!

"Hee, hee, hee! You forgot Pikachus are really fast, huh! Pikachu, Thunder!" Gloria commanded.

Pikachu began to glow as she absorbed electric energy. Dark thunderclouds grew in the sky, giving Pikachu's preparation an ominous look. Then, with a loud "CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" battle cry she released her energy. It struck Rapidash with amazing ferocity.

"Argh, you!" fumed Kieth. "Rapidash, Rest!" Keith yelled at the weakened fire-horse. It tossed its head, its flaming mane swirling, then it lay down and went to sleep.

"Good job. I enjoy a worthy opponent." Gloria commented. "Pikachu, show 'im what you've got! Zap Cannon!" Pikachu charged its energies, preparing for its ultimate attack. Then she released it in a spectacular display of raw power, seriously damaging and awakening the Rapidash.

"What the #$%& ?!?!?! Rapidash, don't sit there like a lump on a log! Do something! Anything!!!" Keith wailed, waving his arms as he hopped up and down.

Rapidash staggered to its feet, its rear legs slid down, and Rapidash steadied itself again. Then, eyes red with rage, Rapidash used its own powerful attack: Fire Kick. It hit, causing Pikachu to stumble.

"Hmmm…you taught it that attack already. Fascinating. I never saw a Rapidash that knew that at only level twenty-eight!" Gloria smiled. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!" Pikachu yelled as she let loose a barrage of electricity.

"YIPE!!! I give! Here, take this! Just spare me!!!" Keith yelled afterward, recalling Rapidash. He tossed an item ball by Gloria.

"Hey, you're not half-bad, kid! I suggest not yelling at your Pokémon so much. They will fight their hardest if you show them you care about them, no matter if they win or lose." Joshua added thoughtfully.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Gloria said picking up the item ball. "Goodbye…Keith! And good luck!" she finished as she left. "Wonder what _this_ is." she speculated as she looked at the item ball in her hand. "Its unusual for a trainer to give an item after battle…" She opened it and found a small bottle with a glittering liquid inside. "I don't believe it! A Full Revive!!!"

Mew watched the battle from high above. The Pokémon-girl showed much skill in training. It floated closer to see the match up-close. When it saw the Pikachu use Zap Cannon, it knew the girl was a great trainer indeed. "Maybe it _is_ possible that this girl can challenge me…" It thought as it drifted even closer.

"Hey, Keith! Wait!!" Gloria called as she ran after the frustrated trainer.

"You again. What now?" He asked. It was obvious that he wasn't in a very good mood.

"Are you sure you meant to give me _this_?" Gloria replied showing him the ball.

He looked at it and then took the ball. "How embarrassing! I nearly gave away my only Full Revive! I actually meant to give you this." Keith handed Gloria another ball but not before taking a peek to check it. "I think it'll help." He walked off, a little red in the face. Gloria opened the ball and found a Nugget!

"Okay, I'm officially surprised now." She commented.

"My goodness! A Nugget! Those things are worth a lot of money!" Michael said.

"I saw him check the ball, so I'm _sure_ he meant to give me this." Gloria said putting it in her pocket. "We'd better get moving."

As she continued down the path, she heard a meowing sort of noise that sounded something like "Mew?" She turned around but, seeing nothing, resumed her journey.

Mew soared high into the sky. Too close…it had gotten_ much_ too close. It was very lucky it hadn't been seen. It wasn't ready to reveal it's true intentions yet.

"What the &%$#$!?" Joshua had gotten his foot stuck in a hole. When he pulled it out the ground collapsed and he fell into a large, formerly hidden hole.

"You okay?!" Julie called as Michael, Gloria, and she ran to the edge of the hole.

"Ow. I'm ok, but you 'ought to see _this_!" Joshua replied.

Gloria turned into her Illicuno form and flew the others down. She reverted to her human form upon arrival at the bottom of the hole. "What's so-…Whoa!!" The hole apparently had several tunnels running through it. It was almost as if they had fallen into a room in an underground home.

"This can't possibly be the work of Digletts or Dugtrios, can it?" Julie queried as she looked about.

"No way." Michael replied. "Look. The walls are smooth…and there are wooden beams reinforcing these tunnels…"

"_I_ don't think this is natural at all. We might as well explore; who knows what's in there?" Julie asked. She looked anxious to play spelunker.

"That's _exactly_ why I'm a little nervous…" Gloria said, "This is just the kind of place you-know-who would set a trap…"

"Good point. We'll just be _extra_ careful." Joshua replied. As the party entered one of the tunnels, even their Pokémon looked a little worried-Charmander in particular.

Somewhere else…

Daniel adjusted his false mustache. "Heh, heh, heh. You're pretty good with disguises. I hardly recognize myself!"

"Of course!" Janett replied proudly. "I didn't get into Team Rocket for just _any_ benign little talent! Remember the lines?"

"Ummm…after you say 'We're looking for some people,' I say 'They're a bunch of kids, but they pose a threat to our purpose,' right?"

"Good…but do you remember what to do _after_ that?" Janett replied skeptically.

"…Ummm…Er…Uh, what _was_ I supposed to do…?" Daniel said worriedly.

"Grrrrr!!…Okay, okay, more practice!" she ordered.

At the tunnels…

"Geez. This place gives me a good case of the creeps." Julie said.

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling we're about to run into something rather…unexpected." Joshua said nervously.

"What makes you think-?" Gloria questioned but was interrupted by a sticky web falling on her face. "EEEEEEEE!!!! Get it off-GET IT OFF!!!!!" She wailed, fussily trying to brush it off only to have her arms stick to it.

"Ssssssssssk!" A Spinarak dropped off the ceiling.

"What is it?! I hear it but I can't see it-no thanks to this #$%& web!!" Gloria yelled, jumping up and down. She was obviously unhappy with, not only being unable to see, but also with being incapable of using her arms because they were stuck to the web as well.

"This is _definitely_ that 'unexpected event', 'cause it's a Spinarak!!" Joshua said in surprise.

"WHAT?!?!?!" Gloria screamed. "I would be a _lot_ less frightened if I could _see_ the darn spider!!" She bent over in an attempt to gain balance as she tried in vain to tug her arms free.

"Ssssssssssk!!!!" Hissed the Spinarak again, this time rather angrily.

"We better get outta' here! That's a Spinarak's 'warning hiss'!!" Gloria yelled, sill trying to tug-of-war her arms off the web. "But which way…?!"

"Just run in the direction I pull you!" Julie offered, grabbing Gloria by her jacket and racing toward the entrance. Gloria, startled, fell and ended up being pulled on her rear, yelling and screaming all the while.

Meanwhile…

"Okay, you got it straight now?" Janett scolded.

"Ummmm…I think so…" Daniel replied even though he wasn't sure he'd remember them when it came time to use them.

"Good. Now let's move on. We got to try to find that girl that was demanding money. She seems to be the leader of that kindergarten-class."

Back at the tunnels…

"WAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Gloria wailed. Julie was still dragging her.

"Sorry, Gloria! Can't stop-it's right on our tail!!" Julie apologized as she ran faster still.

Gloria winced. "Can't you find a better analogy?!?"

"Oops! Sorry again!!" Julie replied.

Suddenly Michael stopped. "Hold it!!" There was a wall of solid earth in front of him.

"Uh-oh. Dead end…" Joshua gulped, stopping. Julie halted only a mere few feet from the furious Spinarak.

"Guh. More bad analogies…" Growled Gloria.

"Vee, vee! _Eevee_!" Eevee hopped forward between Gloria and the Spinarak!

"…Hey, idea!" Michael said. "Eevee, Sand Attack!!! C'mon, everyone!! ATTACK!!!"

"Bulbasaur, try Razor Leaf!! Chikorita, go for Vine Whip!! Pikachu, Raichu, use Thunderbolt!!" Gloria commanded, even though she was still blinded by the web.

"Okay, Charmander! Strut your stuff! Use Flamethrower!!" Julie called.

"Alright, Lady Squirt! Use Surf!! Feather-Face, use…Leek Slap!!" Joshua ordered.

The combined efforts of the attacks (which, by the way, happened one-by-one) ended up knocking the Spinarak cold.

"C'mon, let's go, go, GO!!!" Gloria warned scrambling to her feet, strangely enough-for she couldn't use her hands. "I think I can see a little now; the net kinda' loosened up a bit." However, her arms were _still_ stuck.

"Relax, Gloria." Joshua replied. "We did it."

"Relax?!?! How does one relax with their arms stuck to a net and unable to see 'cause of it?!?!" She complained, emphasizing her irked attitude by swinging her head back and forth as if she was trying to shake the web off of her.

"Pika?!" Pikachu squeaked. "Chu!!!" It jumped up and bit the net, only to get stuck to it too!

"Huh? The net feels heavier all of a sudden…" Gloria commented, stopping her shaking.

"That's 'cause Pikachu just bit it!!" Michael laughed followed by Julie and Joshua.

"Ummm…I know you're trying to help and all, but can you let go, Pikachu? You're kind of heavy…"

"Eekaku…ku." It said, unable to talk properly because its mouth was stuck shut. Everyone ended up bursting in laughter over the Pikachu's silly speech.

"Bulbasaur...bulba." Bulbasaur translated.

"Oh, hee, hee. Pikachu says she can't let go and that she feels pretty silly for what she did." Gloria laughed again. "But who can blame her? She didn't know she'd get stuck, not to mention she was only trying to help out."

"That reminds me…" Julie said. "Why does Bulbasaur 'translate' things for you if you understand Pokémon language?"

"It's just that I've been around Bulbasaur for so long, he's just easier to understand and it's the other way around for him right, Bulby Boy?" Gloria replied grinning, even though she couldn't see Bulbasaur.

"Bulb." he replied proudly.


	17. The Plan

Chapter Seventeen: The Plan

"Well, now how _do_ I get this thing off…?" Gloria thought aloud. She started to try tugging again, when Squirtle sprayed her in the face! "Hey!! What the-?!" She yelled, startled. Then she realized the web was coming loose. "Hey, it loosened! Do it one more time will 'ya?" Squirtle squirted Gloria again and this time the net just fell off just as the surprised Pikachu pulled herself off.

Further down the tunnel, Mew watched. It was surprised at the teamwork of the Pokémon-girl's companions. It wondered if this was what it was like to be "friends". "Perhaps," It wondered drifting a little closer cautiously, "_I_ can be a 'friend' too someday…"

"Phew… Thanks, Squirtle." Gloria said as she stretched out her arms. "My arms had begun to cramp up like that."

"Now I see why Spinaraks don't like water." Michael commented. "The water makes their webs lose their stickiness."

"I'm curious as to what's further down this tunnel." Julie said. She seemed excited to be playing spelunker again. "What's so important that someone needed a Spinarak to guard it?"

"Good point." Joshua replied. "_This_ time, we'll keep an eye out for cave-dwellers. We don't want another incident again, right Gloria?"

"Right." Gloria said with a grimace. " I'll tell you right now, that was _not_ a very pleasant experience."

"Let's move it along." Michael said. "This place is a definite 9.0 on the Creepy Scale."

Gloria smiled. "Interesting way of putting it, but I get the idea. Let's get going." As the quartet continued their journey down the tunnel, they never even considered the fact that Mew was silently following their progress.

"Oh my goodness… Look." Gloria said softly. It was suddenly obvious what that Spinarak was doing. It was protecting its nest, for there were several eggs lying around the tunnel.

"Eggs…" Said Joshua. "I always knew Spinaraks were protective, but this confirms it. No _wonder_ it attacked! It was only defending its nest from us 'intruders', and it assumed we were going to raid its nest."

"We shouldn't hang around here long… They may come back any minute now!" Julie reminded.

Later…

"Well, now _this_ is weird!" Gloria commented, looking at a platform of packed earth standing six feet tall in front of her.

"Even weirder yet, look up." Julie said, a surprised look on her face. Gloria looked up and saw a trapdoor about four feet above the platform.

"Okay, now _this_ is bizarre." Joshua exclaimed, staring at the trapdoor. "Why would there be a trapdoor _here_ of all places?"

"…I think I can jump up there, but can any of you make it up?" Gloria asked. Everyone shook his or her heads "no". "Okay, we'll do this the hard way." Gloria fully extended her tail so it dragged about two feet on the ground. "One of you, grab my tail!"

"I can't do that!" Michael said. "It'll hurt you and I doubt you'll be able to-"

"Michael, you have _no_ idea how strong this tail is." Gloria replied. " I once and _only_ once pulled a Snorlax down from a tree with it."

"No kidding?!?" Julie inquired.

"No kidding. But it was _once_ and I was sore for a week. C'mon, let's go already!" Gloria was already crouching on the ground. Joshua reluctantly grabbed hold of Gloria's tail. "Hang on! It's gonna' be a little rough!" Amazingly, she leapt off the ground, grabbed the edge of the platform and pulled herself and a startled Joshua up onto it. "See? I told 'ya!" She hopped down. "What's wrong, Josh? It's okay. You're just fine." Joshua looked as shocked as if he'd been zapped by Pikachu. "Now the rest of you."

At Route 3…

"Ahem. Excuse me little girl…" Janett said tapping Lucy on the shoulder.

"Huh?! Don't you know the rules around these parts?!" She yelled, placing her hands on her hips haughtily. "Pay the cash, or pay the _price_!!"

"Here, this should cover it." Janett put a few bills in Lucy's hand. She stared at it then pocketed it promptly. "What d' 'ya want?" She said, rolling her eyes as if she had better things to do.

"We're looking for some people." Janett replied. Lucy yawned and turned away.

"They're a bunch of kids but they pose a threat to our purpose." Daniel said producing a rough sketch. He handed the sketch to Lucy. "This is a sketch of them. Do you recognize any of them or their Pokémon?"

"…Why…they're the bums who got away on that weird bird!" Lucy snatched the doodle. "I'd know those punks anywhere!"

"So you _do_ recognize them." Janett said, pleased her plan was going to work even better. "If you can somehow capture them, we will be very grateful."

Lucy looked up form the drawing. "What's in it for _me_?" She asked.

"We'll give you this." Daniel said pulling a sack out of his pocket. Lucy looked inside it then stepped back, a look of extreme surprise on her face.

"What do you say?" Asked Daniel, taking the sack back. "Deal or no deal?"

"Consider it done!" Lucy replied eagerly with a salute. "As a proud member of the Dragon Clan, I shall uphold our reputation for a high rate of success in our missions!" She mumbled an order to the gang behind her ran down the path.

"_That_ worked out rather well." Daniel commented pulling off his fake mustache. "And to think I didn't believe you at first."

Janett grinned proudly and took off her wig. "See? I _told_ you I was good with disguises and plan-making! 


	18. The Second Illicuno

Chapter Eighteen: The Second Illicuno

"Okay, that's everyone, right?" Gloria inquired, as she made sure she had not forgotten anyone.

"Farfetch'd!!!!" Squabbled Farfetch'd as she flew up.

"Okay, _now_ that's everyone." Gloria corrected herself. "Let's find out what's up there."

She stood up, pushing the trapdoor open with a rusty creak as she did so. (The tunnel wasn't tall enough to stand up on the platform.) All of a sudden something stepped or was moved on top of the trapdoor, forcing Gloria down on her rear. What she had seen in the brief moment she before the whatever-it-was stepped on the trapdoor was very startling. "I was probably seeing things, but I think I might have seen the lab I've told you about!"

Michael grew wide-eyed. "You mean the one where the…" He paused, trying to find the proper term. "…Um…accident happened?!"

"I think so." Gloria replied in a slightly irritated tone. "Kind of hard to be sure from the brief view I got."

"What happened, anyway? It seemed as if you were startled by something." Joshua questioned.

"I think someone or some_thing_ stepped on the door. Either that, or someont put a Snorlax on it!" Gloria said. "Whatever it is, it's _heavy_!"

"Let _me_ try." Joshua offered. He crawled to the trapdoor and opened it. "WHOA!!!!!" He exclaimed, dropping down again, letting the trapdoor close with a rust-tinged slam.

"What did you see?" Julie asked. She opened the trapdoor too. "Yipe!!!"

"What's all this about?!" Gloria asked.

"See for yourself!" Joshua replied nervously. Gloria opened the trapdoor and quickly climbed out. The others followed, Gloria making trips to pick up the Pokémon, except Farfetch'd of course, who had flown out of the open trapdoor. They had surfaced in a huge meadow, surrounded by nothing but grassy flatlands as far as the eye could see. Positioned to the right of the quartet, the Illicuno was standing.

Michael, Julie and Joshua, despite having been told there was another one out there, were surprised how shockingly similar this Illicuno looked like Gloria in _her_ Illicuno form, but with two major differences. This Illicuno's eyes weren't fiery red nor were its feathers blue. Its eyes were a light, glowing sea-blue, its feathers that flaming red. Everything else was perfectly akin to Gloria's Illicuno form.

"……I didn't think I'd ever see _him_ again…" Gloria said reminiscing the moment she first saw him. "And yet, here he is!!"

"Hold on! _He_?!" Julie interrupted, snapping Gloria out of her reverie, "I thought you said you were like that because the cloning machine went out of control, right?? If that's true, how come that one's a boy and you're still a girl???" Julie hesitated a moment. "Erm, if you don't mind my saying so…" Julie blushed at the awkward moment.

"That's okay." Gloria said. "Remember, when the machine went awry, it _mixed_ my body with the clone. I guess I was just plain lucky to stay female when I did the conversion."

"Huh?" Said the other three in unison.

Gloria shook her head. "Never mind."

"How _do_ you know it's a boy?" Michael asked, still staring at the magnificent bird just a mere few yards from him, as everyone else was doing also.

"See how its feathers are red and its eyes are blue, just the opposite of how I am in Illicuno form?" Gloria said pointing at the Illicuno for effect. "I guess it's just like in the Nidoran species; male and female Illicunos look different from each other."

Just then, attracted by the conversation, the Illicuno turned around. He craned his long neck down to get a better view of the tiny creatures before him.

"Hold on, fellows." Gloria said approaching the Illicuno. "I'm gonna' try to talk to him." She transformed, haloed in bright light. When the light faded, Gloria was in Illicuno form again. She walked over to the puzzled Illicuno, bobbing her head as she always did when she walked in Illicuno form. She spoke a series of squawks, tweets, chirps, and trills. The male Illicuno responded in a series of bird-sounds.

"What did you say to 'im?" Joshua asked curiously.

"I just told him you all are friends of mine and that you won't hurt him. Which is what I assumed, am I correct?" They nodded. "Good. He then told me that he's seen a lot of 'two-legers' lately. By the way, that's how wild Pokémon seem to refer to people." The Illicuno chirped again. Gloria chirped back in response then the Illicuno did another melody of birdcalls.

"He says he wants to show us something." Gloria said tentatively. "He says it's a little weird so I think…" She hesitated. "…I think he's talking about the you-know-what."

The others were surprised. "I don't suppose you mean the lab, do you?" Asked Julie.

"Yes I do." Gloria said nervously. "I'm strongly against going back there again, but if the experiments have gotten worse and/or more drastic, I feel it's my duty to see to it that this madness is stopped immediately."

"So how far is this 'lab'?" Michael wondered.

"I'll ask." Gloria replied. A series of chirp-exchanges later she spoke again. "He says it's a few minutes flight to get there. He also said he'd 'like the privilege of carrying the two-footed ones,' in his own words. Do you mind? I'll carry the Pokémon."

"That's a perfectly fine concept, but can we really trust him?" Joshua said skeptically.

"I'll ensure he doesn't harm you."

"Awk!?!?" Farfetch'd quacked.

"Oh, all right, all right. You can fly too." Joshua said.

"Farfetch'd!" Quacked the slightly snobby duck.

Later…

"……It's the lab all right." Gloria said after everyone got off. "I'd _never_ forget a place like _this_!!"

It was a truly odd-looking set of buildings. Built in dome shapes connected by tunnels, camouflaged -no _chameleoned_ to its background, and half-hidden in a valley, the "labs" looked much more like military bomb dumps than laboratories.

"Geez, _this_ place is creepy!" Michael commented.

"No kidding. You can imagine how much torture I had to endure in my six months of being trapped here..." Gloria said, transforming again to human form.

"Awk-awk, tweet?!?!?!?!" Chirped Illicuno.

"Tweet chirp awk!" Gloria said to the Illicuno.

"What did you say _this_ time?" Joshua asked.

"He was confused when I transformed, so I told him it's only me." Gloria said as she pulled out her Pokédex. She began doing something with it. As she did it Pikachu, Raichu, and Chikorita disappeared.

"What the heck did you _do_?!" Michael asked wide-eyed with surprise.

"Oh. I guess you don't know how to link a Pokédex with a PC." Gloria said. "I just exchanged some Pokémon in my PC with some of the ones I have with me. It's pretty easy to do once you know how. You just have to be linked to a PC to do the initial programming." She put her Pokédex away. "If we're going in, let's do it now." Gloria walked tentatively to the closest of the domes. She flipped up a cover on a keypad and typed a number in too fast too see. A door-shaped portion of the dome slid upwards. "Onward." She said, motioning inside dramatically. "Immortality awaits…" 


	19. Amanda

Chapter Ninteen: Amanda

"Oh wow…" Julie said as she entered. "This place is both amazing and scary at once."

"You have to be extremely careful." Gloria reminisced, going ahead of the others. "The defense lasers can vaporize a hole in twelve-inch thick steel armor faster than you can blink. But they won't attack us if we're registered. We'll need to register our profiles in the computers so the 'bots and lasers won't get us."

"'Bots?" Asked Michael.

"Yup. Robots too. We just call them 'bots. They too are armed with lasers, but not as powerful because their power supplies don't draw on the main power plant." Gloria said. "But, like I said, they'll leave us alone if we register our profiles."

"Just how are we going to 'register' anyway?" Joshua asked.

"We'll just need to locate the main computer terminal and access the registry files. I can probably hack a profile for us. In case I never mentioned it, I'm really good with science and technology, computers in particular." Gloria continued as she looked about. She turned left at the intersection. "If I remember properly, the terminal is located in the middle of the center dome. Let's move quickly, it's only a matter of time before the security system detects us. That hacked access code I entered won't frazzle the security system long…"

A short time later…

"Here it is," Gloria said gesturing inside an enormous room full of panels, screens, computers, and doorways. The upper walls, like all of the rest of the lab, were lined with miniature laser cannons, each and every one ready to fire. "The central computer room." Just as Gloria approached a computer, a strong hand grabbed her from the left.

"Hey, kid!"

Gloria turned around. A girl: pale-skinned, gold-eyed and pink haired stood before her in a gray, rubbery skin-tight suit. She was a peculiar-looking girl. The girl looked to be no older than nineteen. She was also about five inches shorter than Gloria. She carried an odd-looking pack on her back with wires coming out of them. The wires came down the sides of her arms, terminating in a set of gloves with tiny laser cannons on the fingers.

Gloria stared in recognition. "Amanda? It that really you??"

The girl (Amanda?) stood surprised for a moment then grew giddy with excitement. "Gloria! Oh, I'm _so_ glad you're alright!!!" She yanked her hands out of the gloves, took a big step forward and hugged Gloria so hard she actually lifted Gloria off her feet, grinning earnestly all the while. "I thought you were dead! It's been, what, three years? Look at you, just look at you!! You've changed so much and yet so little!! I'm so happy to see you again!!!"

"Urk! Calm down, Amanda!" Gloria squeaked.

Amanda stopped hugging her and put her down. "Sorry," she said gleefully. "I'm just sooooo happy ta' see my best bud again!!!"

"You two know each other?" Julie asked as she and the others entered.

"_Know_ each other? We're best pals!!" Amanda said slapping Gloria on the back strongly.

"Ooof! Yes." Gloria replied, rubbing her back. "This is Amanda Rowlinzski. Friend extraordinaire. Amanda and I were the best of friends in the lab."

"And who might _you_ be?" Amanda asked, quirking an eyebrow at Joshua. "Meow, whatta hunk!" She purred and flittered her eyes at him.

"…Er…" Gloria cleared her throat in the uncomfortable moment. "These are my friends, Julie, Joshua and Michael." Gloria said, pointing to each one in turn.

She mewed at Joshua again, who was blushing at her flirt. "Pleasure to make your acquaintances." Amanda replied politely. "You're probably all wondering what's with the funky suit, right?"

"Um, yeah. Why _are_ you wearing that thing, anyway?" Joshua asked.

"Why, it's so I don't have to update the registry so often, _and_ to protect against accidents." She replied, her enthusiasm declining as she mentioned the part about accidents.

"Gulp. Accidents?" Julie asked fearfully.

"Ah, don't worry 'yer pretty little head." Amanda playfully mussed Julie's hair up. "They're few and far-between." Amanda said casually. "Worst thing that happened that _I_ know of was when Curtis fell into a tub of latex and set off the security system in Lab 5." She began to giggle a little.

"That old coot is _still_ here?" Gloria queried.

"Yup, eccentric as ever too-no worse. He's gone o'er the limit. _Big_-time. He's a full-fledged nut of the first-degree now. That ol' chestnut claimed to have seen a giant bird with fire-red feathers and eyes as blue as the sea." Amanda stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Yeah, _sure_, and little black kittens turn into dragons at night away from human eyes." The quartet gave each other meaningful looks. "Also, check _this_ out!" She pressed a button causing a mirrored sheath to engulf her arms completely and her legs up to the knees.

"Ooooh! Cool!" Julie piped up.

"Neat, huh? I can reflect lasers with these. Let's see a 'bot try to sear a hole in me with _this_!" She pushed the button again, the "mirrors" sliding away. "So anyway, the suits are in the third door on your left in this room. Oh, and if ya' can't get 'em on, use the zipper! I lost count of how many duds couldn't get it on because they forgot to use the zipper."

"Blip, blip, blip! " One of the terminals beeped loudly, blinking a red light.

"Uh oh. I gotta' fix this darn problem. Main power's down again and I can't get Auxiliary on! Can't get outta here if ya can't open the locks on the doors, eh? Help me out when ya get into the suit, ok Gloria?"

Later…

"This thing feels weird." Joshua commented as he tried to walk in the suit. It seemed stiff to him and it kept making funny little squeaks as he walked.

"Hey, techno boy! Your barn door's open!" Michael said.

"Huh?" He reprised. He looked down. "Ha, ha." He said in sarcasm. "_Really_ funny, Mikey."

"Don't call me Mikey." Said Michael.

"Mikey, Mikey, Miiikey!" Joshua teased in a "nah-nah-nah-nah-nah" tone.

"Cut it out you two!" Gloria cut in. As Joshua calmed down a little with a playful shrug, Michael stuck out his tongue triumphantly at Joshua. "Hold still, Joshua." Gloria zipped up the back zipper, which was partially open. "See, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Joshua stuck out his lower lip in annoyance. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Gloria!" Amanda called out. "I still need you!!"

Gloria went to the computer where Amanda was staring in frustration at a glowing panel. "Ah, geez. _This_ is a problem." According to the readout, something was wrong with the main power supply.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Amanda said poking her finger at a grid on the screen, which, unlike the others, was green instead of blue. "If the power supply is truly out, why is Grid 9 still receiving nominal power?"

"Huh. That really _is _weird. Maybe it's just the computer." Gloria tapped a few keys and brought up the source codes. "What the heck is _that_?!?!" 


	20. Escape From the Lab

Chapter Twenty: Escape From The Lab

"What?" Julie queried as she peered over Gloria's shoulder. "All _I _see is a mixed-up sequence of numbers and words."

"It's some sort of foreign command line." She replied without taking her eyes off the glowing screen. Gloria then said something that sounded like "Yipe!!" and backed off from the computer screen in terror. "Hey Amanda, check _this_ out!! It's in Line 307a. You'll _never_ believe this!!"

"Whazzup here, huh?" Amanda replied, coming back to the console. "WHAT THE #$?!?!?!" She wailed, eyes agape in horror. "It's a &$ % virus!! _And_ it's set the computers to activate the self-destruct mechanism in exactly 2 and 1/2 hours and counting!!!!!!"

"Oh geez…! I know! I'll see if I can disable it! In the meanwhile, evacuate everyone!! Go to Lab 2 first and just work your way down!!" Gloria commanded, fingers tapping the keys rapidly in an attempt to disengage the virus.

Amanda gave a playful salute. "Yes, o' fearless leader!!" She took off down the right-hand hallway yelling-no _screaming_, "Evacuate, _now_!!! Self-destruct activated!!!!"

"Did I just hear something about self-destruct??" Michael questioned worriedly.

Gloria continued to type, franticly trying to disarm the computer. "Don't worry. If I can disable this #$% virus, it won't go off…if it hasn't already contaminated the manual overrides and overridden the main processors..."

"Can't you just turn it off?" Michael asked, peering over Gloria's shoulder.

"NO! That would do no good! It'd just activate the lab's self-destruct!" Gloria responded.

"I don't know much about computer viruses," Joshua said, "but are they really capable of doing something like _that_?"

"Joshua, you have _no_ idea what hackers will do to cause a little damage. With a well-coded virus a hacker can _control_ computers, and I'm talking _total_ liberation!" Gloria continued, still focused on the screen. "OH NO!!!!" She jumped back from the screen.

"Dare I ask what went wrong?" Julie asked worriedly.

"I can't disarm it!" Gloria said fearfully, "Not without it shortening the timer…oh, blast it all!! It already did!!!" She stamped her foot in a sudden spurt of frustrated anger. "_Now_ we only have 15 minutes to get outta' here!!!! And _now_ it put the security system in total mayhem; it'll no longer use the registry…"

"Oh crap." Said Michael as he looked about. "Well, at least it can't get worse..."

Meanwhile…

"Hey in there!!" Amanda bashed the steel door with her hip, breaking it open. Inside was an old man. His hair was thin and snow-white. He was wearing a suit, which was a larger twin of Amanda's, complete with gloves. He had a Pokéball in his hand.

"What is it, Amanda? You look and sound troubled." Said the man as he pocketed the ball.

"Curtis! The self-destruct has been set off!"

"WHAT?!?!?!?!" Curtis yelped. "I designed the safeguards myself!! _Nothing_-and I mean _NOTHING_ could've set them off without alerting everyone!!!!" He threw the Pokéball against the wall in his frustration.

"A _virus_ set them off!! Get outta' here!!! Alert everyone; I have to get back to Gloria!!!"

"Gloria?!?! I thought-"

"Curtis! There's no _time_ for this!! Just go, GET OUT!!!!" With that, Amanda raced out the door, Curtis scrambling out a second later after he scooped the ball up. Curtis raced further into the lab; Amanda hurried back to the computer terminal.

Back at the halls…

"Okay, everyone got the mirrors up??" Gloria asked quickly. Everyone nodded. "Grab your Pokémon unless you think they're ready for a running spree, cause we're gonna' have to move fast! Follow me!!" She dashed down the hall to her right, Bulbasaur in close pursuit. The others followed Gloria's lead. At the intersection she turned left, then right, then left again and finally straight ahead when…

"Ouch!!" Gloria said as she fell on her rear upon collision with a nine-foot tall pile of treads, wires, cannons, and merciless pursuit.

She had run straight into a 'bot! It turned toward her and the others, its treads swiveling a full 90o right. It raised its robotic "arms", welded on them instead of hands were two large laser cannons. It raised the cannons aiming directly at our heroes.

"Quick, block it!!!" Gloria commanded as she raised her arms in defense. The laser just bounced off the mirrors on Michael's raised arms, missing the robot very narrowly and hitting the wall behind it.

"Nice one, Mike!" Gloria scuttled to her feet and jammed her hands in the gloves dangling at her side while the 'bot's cannons recharged. "Ladies and gentlemen," She announced, "you're about to see the power of the Laser Glove 2000!" She straightened her arms and hands out completely, forming a perfect straight line from shoulder to finger. Ten tiny lasers, one from each finger, sprouted from them, each striking and searing a hole completely through the towering hunk of scrap metal as Gloria moved her arms and, going straight through it and into the wall beyond. The 'bot made an ear-piercing squeal of metal on metal then stopped, cannon-arms still aimed.

"Whoa!! How did you _do_ that?!?!" Michael asked.

"Laser Gloves." Gloria replied taking her hands out. "If you have your arm and hand out like I did," she demonstrated the position without the gloves on, "you can fire a laser. If you straighten one finger, the laser on that finger fires. I'll give you the juicy details later; we gotta' move!!" With that she scooted around the disabled 'bot and raced down the hall, the rest of the party in pursuit.

At the end of the hall, a huge indoor lake was situated as if in a metal canyon. In the "lake", Gloria could see electric sparks leaping from it, threatening to zap anyone/anything that entered. Gloria suspected something like Lanturns were in there.

"Ey, hey, hey, hey! Gloria!" Amanda was calling from the other side, waving her arms. "Can't get over?"

"What do _you_ think?!" Gloria said. She had no time for chitchat. "The lake is electrified and even a Kangaskhan probably couldn't leap over that chasm!"

"You seem kinda ruffled. In more of a hurry?"

"HURRY?!?! The S.D. is gonna' go off in five minutes!!!!"

"Huh?!? _I _thought it was gonna' go off in another 2 hours!!" Amanda scratched her head. "The default timers can't be-"

"As I tried to deactivate the virus, it shortened the timer and set the whole security system berserk!!" Gloria interrupted.

"Oh-oh! As for the big-hole-in-the-ground problem," Amanda activated her mirrors and pulled out what looked like a harpoon gun with a giant anchor-like hook on it, "I think this'll do." She fried it at the ceiling just three feet short of the ledge where she stood. "I'm just gonna' make like Tarzan and you just grab me!"

"What about the Pokémon?" Joshua asked.

"Hang on to them tight! I'm commin' over!" She leapt off the ledge, swinging and even making a playful Tarzan call, "AWEEEEE-AH-H-H-H-H-EEEEEE-AHHHHHH!!!!"

Gloria giggled a little at Amanda's antics. Even though Amanda was nineteen on the outside, she was still just a kid on the inside. Just then, Amanda came swinging by, too far over. She hovered in that spot for just a second before swinging back over.

"Oops." She quipped as she replanted her feet for another try. "A little too frisky, eh?" Just then she snapped her fingers. "Idea!" She let go of the gun and pushed it over so it swung over to Gloria.

She grabbed it and grinned. "How novel." She commented as she readied herself. "Ready, Bulby Boy?" She said to her green, saurian companion.

"Bulba, bulb!" He said; his vines wrapped around Gloria's neck. He was raring to go.

"Then, here I go!" Gloria pushed of with her feet, swinging over the chasm. Below her, the relentless electric tendrils snaking from the water threatened to ensnare her at any given second. Then, just as she thought she'd freak out, she was above the other side. She let go of the rope, dropping awkwardly onto the platform below and causing Bulbasaur to fall off his perch on Gloria's shoulder and onto the floor.

"Bulb-bulba!!!" He said in complaint, shaking his green head.

"Sorry 'bout that, but I never did _that_ before..."

"Yahoo!!" Julie exclaimed with a graceful leap off the rope.

"Ow! Quit it!" Joshua complained as Farfetch'd kept pecking him on his bottom. Then Joshua noticed his Pokémon had something in her talons: Charmander!

"Char! Char! Char!" He repeated, trying to squirm out of his captor's grip. Farfetch'd let him go and Charmander literally shook his fist at the laughing (Quacking?) bird.

"Hey, good idea! Go fetch Squirtle, Feather Face!" Joshua ordered. "Mind if I get her to grab Eevee too, Michael?"

"Huh? Oh, no not at all." Michael replied as he hopped off the rope. A short while later, Farfetch'd returned with Eevee in one foot, Squirtle, who was hiding in her shell, was in the other.

"Let's get moving!! I don't think the exit's too much further!" Gloria yelled, rocketing down the hallway. After a short ways down the hall, she ran into a door, locked with a keypad. Hang on a sec'." Gloria tapped a few keys into the keypad and the door slid open. There was a car parked there in front of the door.

"Oh, I can't believe it's still here!" Amanda crooned, taking some keys out of her pocket, "My old car!"

"You can drive?" Michael asked.

"Yup. Plant 'yer cabooses here, I'm gonna' give you a _ride_!" Amanda said as she got into the car. As soon as the others and their Pokémon were in the car, Amanda put the pedal to the metal-literally! "YAHOO!!! Now ain't this a blast!!!" she called out.

"W-h-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-a!" Julie said, her voice getting a bit bouncy as the car sped away, rearing on its hind wheels a little as it gained its initial burst of speed. "Y-o-u d-r-i-v-e l-i-k-e a m-a-n-i-a-c!"

"I don't drive often," Amanda intoned, obviously unaffected by the bouncing car, "but it's better than being fried in the lab!! Ooop, iiiiiiits TURBO TIIIIIIIME!!!!" She pounded a button and the car zoomed even faster away from the lab, which was engulfed in flames now, its yellow-red glow illuminating the dusky sky into dawn once again.

Later…

Gloria solemnly stood atop the rocky, cliff-like overhang as she observed the lab's blaze, its yellow aura stretching further with every passing moment. Tears slowly slid down her cheeks as she gazed at the flames

"Why so glum, chum?" Amanda questioned, trying to peer over Gloria's shoulder.

"……… Lab 4…" Gloria said without looking away form the fire, "the one that was sealed…You may not have known, but I was forced to create genetic experiments three years ago…and now I wish I'd had the time to go back and save all those poor, innocent Pokémon who were to be victims of those experiments from this inferno that now marks their gravesite…………"

Amanda said nothing, but placed her pale, pink hand on Gloria's shoulder as she too stared into the hectic blaze. "Curse that Lab," she thought to herself, clenching her other hand into a fist as rage built up in her, like the flames she now watched, "and curse the Experiments I was forced to accomplish too!! How could I have even been helping _that?!?! _Curse it _all_!!! CURSE IT _ALL_!!!!!" She glared at the ruins, vowing silently that she'd one day have her revenge. She didn't know how, when, or on who, but someone was gonna pay the price. She swore it.


	21. The Challenge Part 1

Chapter Twenty-One: The Challenge Part 1-

Julie vs. Michael

The next morning at the Cerulean City Pokécenter…

Gloria was leaning against the wall by the PC. "Okay, do you remember how to program the link now?" Gloria asked after she walked Julie through the steps.

"Uh huh….I think." She replied with a smile. "It _is_ pretty easy once you know how."

"Yup. Didn't I tell you so? Now you can change Pokémon away from a PC." Gloria smiled back at Julie.

"Way cool!" Julie chimed.

"Now we all know how, right?" Gloria said. "I wanna' get on that challenge…"

"What challenge?" Joshua wondered.

"Why, don't you remember?" Gloria asked, a quizzical look on her face, "We agreed upon a challenge. You know, the kind where we fight one battle at a time and the winners challenge each other?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Julie grinned sheepishly with a shrug. "Gee, we've just been so busy…"

"I have a question regarding that." Michael added, "Amanda _does_ train Pokémon too, right?" He turned to Amanda, who, like the others, no longer wore that suit. She now wore a pink T-shirt, a pair of jean-shorts and was barefoot in sandals. Her shoulder-length, rosy hair was just casually hanging un-styled. She also had a fanny pack, stuffed full.

"And boy _do _I!" Amanda answered cheerily. "I specialize in cross-bred species like Windeon and Bulbamander. What are they, you wonder?" She grinned slyly. "You'll find out, sugar."

"Sugar?" Joshua was stymied.

"…Most of these Pokémon she has are living results of you-know-what." Gloria said cautiously. She shifted her weight nervously. "Shall we go?" She went out the door, Bulbasaur following faithful as ever. The other four, with their Pokémon, came out shortly after.

"I'll take the first match!" Julie cut in before anyone else could get anything out.

"My, my! Excited aren't we?" Michael added. "I'll challenge ya'! I'll have to warn ya', I'm pretty good." He struck a pose. "My Eevees are tops!"

"You sound as if you expect to receive an easy win…" Julie retorted, a dangerous-looking glare on her face, "Don't count on it! I'm darn good too."

"Let's get it on! Go for it, Umbreon!" Michael released an Eevee-like creature, which had gold, ring-shaped patterns on its short, thick, satiny, black fur.

"Umbreon?" It questioned, cocking its rabbit-esque head.

"An Umbreon?" Julie asked with surprise and curiosity. "I heard they're hard to get and even harder still to raise."

"All of my 'Eeveelutions' are actually the pups of my trustworthy Eevee." Michael said, patting his Eevee who squealed happily. "What're _you_ gonna' lose-ahem use. Sorry."

"Hmm…I'll choose Growlithe!" Julie grabbed her Pokéball and let loose a dog Pokémon with tiger-like stripes, who promptly barked defensively at Umbreon, "Arf! Bowwow, wow!!

"Hey, hey. Impressive." Michael said, truly impressed.

"Get a load of this! Roar at that little kitten, my precious puppy!" Julie commanded. Growlithe reared on his/her hind legs and roared menacingly and loudly as it landed on all fours, severely frightening the Umbreon and causing him/her to retreat behind Michael, terrified!"

"Umbreeeeeeee!!!" It wailed, timidly poking its head from behind Michael's legs.

"C'mon, Umbreon." Michael said calmly, crouching down and stroking its back. "It's just a big dog. Get 'im with a Night Shade!!"

"Breee…?" It said again, flattening its long ears against its head and giving Michael a very pitiful look.

"C'mon. For me?" He said, scratching the Moon Pokémon behind its ears. Umbreon nervously came from behind Michael and with sudden new bravery it caused a great globe of darkness to descend upon itself. Growlithe, overcome with curiosity, approached only to have the sly Umbreon flash the darkness from itself toward Growlithe, hurting the puppy Pokémon really good.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! " Growlithe snarled, refusing to show any weakness. It was hurt, but not very badly.

Gloria used her Pokédex to analyze the two Pokémon's levels. It showed Growlithe to be level 22 and it couldn't detect Umbreon's level, beeping twice and instead of saying, "Experience scan indicates this (Pokémon)'s level is (level)," it said, "Unable to detect target's level. Possible mechanical error." Surprised, she put it away. Maybe the error was because of the Night Shade.

"…Tackle 'im!" Julie said. Growlithe got a running start and jumped in the air, landing on Umbreon!

"Eeeeee!" S/he wailed, shaking his/her head. It stood strong however.

"Ok, Umbreon! Use…Psywave!" S/he began to glow a little then let loose a beam of Psychic energy, confusing and injuring the dog.

"Grr? " It growled. It tried to charge at Umbreon, but stumbled into Julie and fell over. It was obvious that it didn't even know which way was up it was so confused.

"Pretty clever. Come back, Growlithe!" Julie recalled Growlithe. Then she paused a minute then said, "C'mon, Magmar!" She let out a strong-looking Pokémon, most of its true body hidden in an orange fiery glow.

"Marrrrr!!" It roared, thrashing its tail about fiercely.

"Umbre?" Squeaked Umbreon as if asking what to do.

"Go on, my little kitten. Show him your you-know-what!"

"Breeeee?!?!?" It said in surprise.

"Yes, that! Now please do it for me!"

"Umbre-bre!!" It began to glow a black color. Then it leapt forward, striking Magmar with surprising power, which sent the Spitfire Pokémon on its rear!

"What the heck was _that_??" Julie asked stunned.

"Why, it's a move Umbreon taught himself called Power Tackle! I taught him how to charge his power and he mixed his new talent with Tackle, which he already knew!" Michael replied, smiling with pleasure at his success.

"Well, _that's_ something I never heard of before." Julie commented. "Smokescreen, Magmar!"

"Mag?" It asked as if it didn't have a clue what she just said.

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you _forgot_ how to do it!!"

"Magmar…" It muttered, lowering its head in disappointment. It sounded like it had actually said "Mugmar" instead of "Magmar."

"Okay then. Use Flamethrower!"

"Magmarrrrrrrrrr!!!!" It puffed out a cloud of flames, badly injuring the Dark Eevee.

"That's enough, Umbreon!" Michael said as he recalled the Moon Pokémon. "How embarrassing. Go get 'im, Vaporeon!" Michael grabbed another Pokéball out of his pocket. He released a creature that looked somewhat like a large Eevee, but blue, with a frill around its neck, a ridge on its tail and back, and a mermaid-like fin on its tail.

"Va_por_eon!" It said as it sat on its haunches, idly lapping its tail up and down. It started to lick its paw and rub it on its head primly.

"Uh-oh." Julie said nervously. "I _knew_ someone would take advantage of the fact that I train mostly Fire-Types sooner or later! I just knew it!"

"I never _knew_ that, so how could I take advantage?"

"Never mind. Flamethrower again, Magmar!" Once again it blew out a lot of fire, but this time it had little effect against the Water-Type. "Oops. I thought it was part Ice."

"Go for the Water Gun, Vaporeon!"

Vaporeon got up and spat a heavy stream of water at Magmar.

"Get back here, Magmar!" Julie recalled the fainted Magmar. "…Ponyta! Go get 'im!" A small horse with a fiery mane emerged. It reared on its hind legs, neighed, then went back down and awaited its command. As odd as it may seem, "Thundershock 'im!" was the command.

"? Thundershock??" Michael asked. "Ponyta can't learn that!"

"Metronome." Julie grinned. "Do it, Ponyta!"

It neighed and charged its power.

"Quick, Vaporeon! Acid Armor!" Michael yelled as Ponyta began to run toward the all too vulnerable Vaporeon, electric sparks leaping from its flaming body. At its trainer's command, Vaporeon melted quickly away into a puddle of water.

"Yipe!! Stop, Ponyta! Stop, stop, STOP!!" Julie cried out, but it was too late. Ponyta was racing towards where it thought Vaporeon was with intentions to give it a "shocking" experience, only to zap itself as it skidded into the water. It was totally stunned at having its own full-forced blow backfire on it. "Whoa! You _are_ good! Come back Ponyta!" She called back the severely weakened horse. "Go for it, Cyndaquil!" Out of the Pokéball emerged a small, black, mouse-like Pokémon with fire on its back and a yellow underbelly. It squeaked a little and waited for an order.

"A Cyndaquil?! Now _those_ are rare!" Michael commented.

"You bet 'cha! I had to trade Lynn for one of her eggs in order to get it. Fire Blast, Cyndaquil!" The Cyndaquil reared up on its hind legs and charged forward at Vaporeon, letting loose its built-up fire at Vaporeon as it hit. Vaporeon staggered back, shook its head, and got up, ready to attack. It seemed irritated at having been caught off-guard like that.

"Vaporeon! Use Hydro Pump!"

"Vapo!" It stepped toward Cyndaquil and spat a huge downpour of water at it. Cyndaquil fell and didn't get up.

"Don't expect to win with such an easy move next time!" Julie said as she recalled Cyndaquil. "Go for it, Charmander! Do your thing!" Charmander hopped off of his perch on Julie's shoulder and glared menacingly at Vaporeon. Vaporeon's reaction was just a yawn as it waited for a command.

"Okay! Try using Water Gun!" Michael commanded idly. Vaporeon did it but, to Michael and Vaporeon's astonishment, nothing happened!

"Hee, hee, hee! Charmander developed a _resistance_ to Water-Type moves somehow!" Julie smirked. "Pretty odd for a Fire-Type, huh? It must have come from all of the times of challenging Daisy's Pokémon! Fire Spin, Charmander!" Charmander spat out a huge beam of fire at Vaporeon. This time, the flame burned it.

"Come back, Vaporeon!" Michael recalled the Bubble Jet Pokémon. "Go get 'im, Espeon!" A creature that looked somewhat like Umbreon but without rings emerged. It, like Umbreon, didn't have fluffy tufts of fur on the front half of its body, but smooth, light purple fur all over its body with a lighter-colored purple jewel on its forehead, and a tail, which split halfway up into two tails.

"Espe!" It squeaked. It began to lick itself as it waited for an order.

"Oh, its so cute!" Said Julie. "What _is_ it, anyway?"

"Why, she's an Espeon!" Said Michael. "Ready? Good. Here I go! Psychic, Espeon!" Espeon got on all fours and fired a Psychic beam of power from her jewel at the unsuspecting Charmander, who was braced for a Water-Type move but was caught completely off-guard by the flood of Psychic energy.

Far, far above the battleground, Mew watched the fighting with curiosity and fascination. "So _this_ is how humans battle the Pokémon." It thought as it swooped a little closer cautiously. "I wonder if I too can do this someday…"

"I don't believe it!" Said Julie as she grabbed her K.O.'d Charmander, "You beat him! He was at level 15 too!"

"15, huh?" Michael said as he recalled Espeon, "Not much higher than Espeon. Anyway, that means Charmander should be evolving soon."

"Yup." Julie replied as she went into the Pokécenter, "I kinda' have mixed feelings about that. I sorta' want Flame Boy to stay as he is, but I've always wanted a Charizard so I guess I don't exactly mind too much either way…" Julie looked down at her injured friend forlornly.

"I'll be ready for the next challenge when I'm done healing my team." Michael said as he went in too.


	22. Dragon Strike

Chapter Twenty-Three: Dragon Strike

Gloria made her way to the bridge. Joshua and a girl with shoulder-length black hair and a tan were talking.

"C'mon, Raven! You said you _knew_ where she was, now _tell_ me!" Joshua said.

"You speak fiercely for your age." Raven replied blandly.

"And just what do you mean by _that_!?" He replied.

"I mean just what I said. No more, no less. The girl we were asked to capture is no longer in the spot which we left her." Raven seemed fixed more on navigating the Sea Spray than the conversation.

"If it's me you're looking for, here I am." Gloria said, trying to stop Joshua from turning this into a fight, as he was known to do on occasion.

"Oh, _there_ you are! I was told Raven knew where you'd be…"

"I told you she wasn't there…" Said Raven, "I think we've got one bugger of a storm commin' our way. You might want to go below deck if you get seasick. This one's gonna' be nasty."

Gloria looked out the window. "I don't see _any_ storm…" There were some clouds in the distance, but they were too far away to mean a storm.

Raven peeked out the window and said, "Can't you smell it? It's close."

Gloria sniffed the air. Besides the characteristic sea smell, she smelled nothing significant. She gave Raven a quizzical look. Then the ship rocked hard to the left as if something was pushing under it.

"What the &%$# is going on?!" She said as she steered right to try and regain balance. She turned over her shoulder and shouted loudly, "Ray! Status report! On the double!!"

Joshua ran out of the room and toward the deck. A short while later, he called, "Gloria! You _gotta_' check _this_ out!!!"

Gloria ran out of the room. Joshua only yelled like _that_ when he was seriously surprised. Gloria peered over the side-rail and saw something long and dark swimming under the ship. She shook her head. It just couldn't be…

"What in the world _was_ that??" Joshua asked. He had clearly seen it too.

"I think…I think it's a Dragon."

"You're just pulling my leg, right?! Those things are a legend! You must've seen a Gyrados."

"What's going on?" Julie asked. She, Michael and Amanda had come when Joshua yelled.

"I think I saw a-" Gloria didn't finish the sentence. A Dragonair burst from the water and rammed the side of the ship! It just about knocked the ship over.

"Great balls of fire!! It's a Dragon!!" Michael exclaimed in awe.

"A Dragonair to be precise!" Gloria said, "Those things can change the weather…" As if she jinxed things a huge wave washed over the deck and nearly knocked off Amanda.

"Good thing I recalled my Pokémon!" She said absently.

"Oh my-"Gloria said as she looked behind her, "L-l-l-…"

"What's wrong?" Julie asked.

"L-l-l-look!" Gloria was so terrified she could only point in horror. A Gyrados was coming straight at the ship, and it looked_ mad_!

"Gulp! A Gyrados! This is definitely_ not_ one of our better days!" Michael said in panic.

"Find something to hang on to! Here it comes!!" Gloria warned.

The Gyrados flew over the ship, its huge snake-like body seeming to hang in midair like a long, low cloud as it soared over the ship and landed on the other side of it with a thundering splash. Something oddly shiny sparkled on its scales as it sunk beneath the waves. After a few tense minutes of waiting, it was clear it wouldn't come back up.

"Did we lose it?" Michael asked.

"How should I, or _any_ of us for that matter, know?!" Gloria responded. "We can't be sure about-" Just then the Gyrados sprang from the other side, landing on the deck and roaring like a mad demon! Kids nearby screamed and backed off except one…

"I think we gotta' fight this thing off!" said Lucy. She looked angry, but not afraid. "Who's got Pokémon?! Fight it!! C'mon!!" She pulled a whistle out of her pocket and blew on it. "Fearow! Come beat this sea-snake up!" she called. Out of the horizon, a familiar shape emerged.

"Did you hear what I heard?" Amanda asked.

"Who didn't?! C'mon, let's help!" Michael said, grabbing Eevee. Joshua, Julie, Amanda, and Gloria followed to the other side of the deck where the Gyrados was. Lucy's Fearow wasn't faring off too well. It was fluttering around, Lucy on its back like a horseback rider. Despite Fearow's best efforts, the Gyrados scarcely flinched.

"Need some help, Lucy?" Gloria called.

Lucy turned around for a second. "Any kind of assistance would be dandy!!" Then she turned back to controlling her Fearow.

I guess we'd better help out, huh?" Gloria said. "Let's give 'im all we've got! Bulbasaur, Noctowl, Bellossom, Lapras, Elekid, Pichu, get 'im!" Gloria let out all six of her Pokémon.

"Charmander, Cyndaquil, Magmar, Ponyta, Growlithe, Houndour, beat 'im up!" Julie let out her crew of Pokémon.

"You never told us you had a Houndour!!" Gloria said in awe as she stared at the cute, yet powerfully fierce Dark Pokémon at Julie's side.

"I don't use her often, but she's a lot stronger than she seems."

"Eevee, Umbreon, Espeon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Flareon! Sic 'em my precious Eeveelutions!" Michael released his Eevee Pokémon.

Amanda let out her crossbreeds. "Bulbamander, Windeon, Steelchu, Chikosaur, Flareyu, Deliot! Don't fail me now!" Bulbamander looked like a green Charmander with a fiery tail and a bulb on its back. Windeon looked like a tiny Eevee, (it was only about 2'2" long) but instead of fur it had off-white feathers from nose to tail and a set of beautiful wings on its shoulders. It even cooed like a bird! Steelchu, now this was an odd creature indeed! It looked like a Steelix, but it had a yellow, lightning bolt shaped tail on the tip of its own and a Pikachu's head. Chikosaur was truly bizarre-looking. It looked mostly like a yellow Bulbasaur, but it had a leaf on its head and a stubby, green tail. Flareyu was odd too, but like the others, cute in its own bizarre way. It looked like a blue Flareon, complete with red flames, but it had a ring of spikes around its neck and a rainbow-colored jewel on the center of its forehead. Deliot, as its name suggested, was a cross between a Delibird and a Pidgeot. It looked like a white Delibird with Pidgeot wings, a long feathered crest, and long talons.

Joshua let set free his five Pokémon, "Squirtle, Jolteon, Farfetch'd, Poochyena, Scizor! Go strut your stuff!"

"Whoa!" Amanda said as she looked at the fierce-looking Poochyena. "What the heck is that?"

"A Poochyena. They come from some place my big brother came from called Hoenn."

"Less talk, more fight!" Julie shouted over her shoulder as she barely dodged a Dragonbreath from Gryados.

"Alright guys! You can fight without commands, right?" Gloria asked her Pokémon. They all nodded except Elekid, who looked angry. "Look, I know you don't like fighting with Pichu, but you're just gonna' have to put up with it! This is an emergency!!" Elekid stuck its tongue at Gloria defiantly, turned its back on her, and folded its arms stubbornly. "Fine, fine! You can fight alone this once, but I'm only doing this 'cause I haven't much of a choice!!" Elekid looked happier at that. "Now everyone, ATTACK!! Go for its face!"

"Hey good idea!" Amanda said. "Fight! Do anything, my pretties!"


	23. The Dragon Clan Strikes Back

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Dragon Clan Gets Even

Later…

"Okay, I wanna' be next! Me! Me! Me!" Amanda claimed as Julie and Michael came out of the Pokémon Center.

"Boy, _someone's_ excited!" Gloria commented.

"Yup! Yup! Yup!" She said, jumping up and down in her excitement.

"Okay, okay, point taken." Gloria said back. "You're next."

"Cool!" She did one more hop. "Sorry. I'm just so excited! I always get jumpy when I'm excited!"

"I can tell." Michael said.

All of a sudden, a trumpet sounded playing the "charge" theme and a smoke bomb went off from somewhere. Just before it did, Gloria recognized the silhouette of a Fearow come from the grass.

"Gah! Wah! I can't see!! I can't see!!"

"What the #$?!"

"What's going on!?"

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

"Ohhhh!! Who turned out the lights?!?!"

Then the smoke began to clear. Out of the quickly vanishing smoke came none other then…

"I'm BACK!" Said Lucy triumphantly.

"Always flamboyant, huh?" Gloria said, shaking her head disapprovingly at Lucy.

"Hee, hee, hee! I've always _loved_ making a scene!" Lucy announced proudly.

"Oh wait a sec, don't tell me what you're here for just yet." Joshua said quickly, making a "time out" sign with his hands. He paused for a moment. "You want to get back at us for _mysteriously_ evading your gang and you want the money, right?!"

"Oh, its something like that." Lucy said. "We can do this the easy way, which is you come with me and don't resist, or I can do it the hard way which is…um…not very nice to say the least."

"I will _not_ be ordered about by the likes of _you_!!!" Julie said fiercely.

"Charrrrrrr…" Charmander growled in agreement from his spot atop Julie's head.

"Well then!" Lucy said pulling a gas mask out quickly. "I'm just going to have to do this." She took what looked like a peanut out of her pocket, threw it on the ground then stepped on it. A green gas came out of the thing and Gloria started to feel herself get very dizzy. Before she lost consciousness, she heard Lucy yell quite loudly, "Nothing personal!"

Gloria awoke staring at something gray and stained. She propped herself up with her arms quickly, wincing slightly at the pain in her left shoulder, and scouted her surroundings. She was lying on her stomach on a concrete floor. The room appeared to be a holding cell of some sort; the door was barred and the window had no glass, but iron bars across it vertically. Suddenly, a thought came to her: where is Bulbasaur?! She rolled to a sitting position and looked again. She then heard banging noises and looked toward the door. Gloria saw Bulbasaur by the door, seemingly trying to knock it down by bashing into it. Then Bulbasaur stopped trying to ram the door down and ran to Gloria.

"Bulb, bulb bulba bulba-bulb!" He said hopping up down and pointing one of his vines at the door.

"Yes, I see that." Gloria replied, "That door is reinforced with bars. You won't be able to bust it down _that_ easily. You'd have to burn it."

"Bulb_aaa_!" He chimed. He raced to the door and spat a fireball at it. The door started to burn down, the bars melting in the intense heat.

"I'm sure glad I managed to teach you Metronome!" Gloria laughed, leaning down and hugging him.

"Bulbasaur!" He said happily.

Gloria put down Bulbasaur and stood up. "Hold on, I think I have a treat in here…" She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a tiny brown ball. "Here. Just because you're such a good boy." Gloria grinned as she scratched her Seed Pokémon on the head where he liked it and put the treat on the floor, which Bulbasaur ate promptly before returning to his position at Gloria's side.

"Darn!" Gloria said in anger, stamping her foot, "I almost forgot. It'll be too hot for us to cross…"

"Bulb…" Said Bulbasaur, hanging his head.

"…I guess I can do it, but can you watch so nobody comes?" Gloria asked.

"Bulba!" He replied walking over carefully to the now destroyed door. All that remained of it now was a pile of molten metal.

Gloria transformed into her Illicuno form. She walked over to the metal and said to Bulbasaur, "Better get outta' the way. There is gonna' be some really hot steam in a moment." Bulbasaur stepped back. Gloria then used her Hydro Pump on the metal and hopped back. After the steam cleared, Gloria was back in her human form and approached the metal with caution.

"I think it should be cool enough now." She said touching it carefully with the back of her hand. It was only warm now instead of searing-molten hot. "It's a little warm, but we can tolerate it, right?"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur said.

"Good. Let's go." Gloria crossed over the metal, Bulbasaur on her shoulder. "Now to find out where everyone else is…" The area beyond Gloria's cell appeared to be a hallway lined with doors similar to Gloria's. She suspected the other rooms were holding cells too. That was when she saw Lucy cleaning the floor.

"Hey, you!" Lucy yelled as she turned around in the hall, nearly kicking the bucket at her side, "You finally woke up, huh?"

"My name is Gloria. Please use it." Gloria replied back.

"Oh. Sorry about the rough greeting and all, but all we want is a little money. We're just a bunch of poor, innocent-" Gloria gave Lucy a glaring look. "Okay, okay, _semi_-innocent kids looking for a quick buck…"

"How am I supposed to believe you aren't connected with Team Rocket?"

"Who?" Lucy looked utterly baffled.

"Team Rocket! You don't know about them?"

Lucy shook her head. "Are they like our Dragon Clan?"

Gloria had begun to doubt her suspicions after that. "They're anything but! They steal Pokémon and now they're after me!"

Lucy looked startled. "I _knew_ those geeks were weird! Now I think I know what they were up to!"

"Huh?" Gloria was confused.

"I met up with these really weird guys who wanted my group to capture you and your pals, but-"

"Hold on!" Gloria interrupted, "Were they wearing white uniforms with a red 'R' on them?!"

"Why, yes! But how did you know?"

Gloria paused for a moment trying to find out how to put it. She then decided to just say it. "That is what all Team Rocket members wear. Most of them also have a bad habit of repeating their motto over and over."

Lucy gasped then began to cry. "I'm sooooooooo sorry, Miss Gloria!!" She sobbed, "If I'd known that they were really Team Rockets or whatever, I'd never have agreed!"

"It's alright, Lucy." Gloria said, crouching down and putting her hands on Lucy's shoulders, "I understand. You didn't know."

"Whaaaaaaaa! " She cried again, burying her face in her hands. "I know you forgave _me_, but I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself…"

"Lucy." Gloria put a hand comfortingly on Lucy's shoulder. "Trust me. I've had so much worse things done to me that this would seem like a birthday party compared to it." Gloria said softly. "_Much_ worse." She thought to herself.

Lucy took her hands off her face. "You mean it?" She looked like she'd never heard a response quite like that before. Gloria couldn't blame her for what she did.

Gloria nodded. "Do I look like I'm lying?" She said, trying to sound as truthful as possible.

Lucy smiled a little. "No. I guess not." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "In fact, I ought to show you around the S.S. Sea Spray, huh?"

"What! You mean to tell me you flew us all the way out to sea?!"

"Like I said, I'm sorry, but that's how it went. The Sea Spray is actually Raven's ship, so I suggest you go meet her before she mistakes you for a stowaway..."

"Raven? Who's Raven?" Asked Gloria.

"She's our leader. You just _gotta'_ meet her! She's the coolest!" Lucy began to walk toward the stairs then seemed to remember something. "Your buddies are above deck here. I gotta' finish cleaning the floor…"

Gloria went up the stairs. Sure enough, it _was_ a ship! Many kids were playing on the deck. Just then she heard a familiar voice…

"Go ahead and pet her. She won't bite you or try to burn you if you don't pull on her fur or try to hurt her. Remember, Fire-Types can decide if they want their flames to hurt you or not. She's actually very gentle with most people despite her fierce appearance…"

"Michael?" Gloria thought. She walked around to the back of the ship where she heard the voice and, sure enough, there was Michael! He had all his Pokémon out and a large group of kids was curiously watching.

"Gloria!" He said as he walked out from the crowd. "I was _wondering_ where you'd gone off to."

"I'd rather not say…"

"Oh. I understand. These kids are all over my 'cute little Eevee-creatures'! I guess they'd never seen the evolved forms of Eevee before."

"Well, I'm gonna' go look for the others. You can come with me if you want." Gloria continued to search the ship. She saw Julie entertaining a group of kids who were laughing at her.

"You think _that's_ silly?! Get a load of my Seel impression!!" She got on the floor and started clapping her arms together, making "Urk! Urk! " noises as she did. The kids laughed again.

Gloria smiled. "Hey, Julie!"

Julie jumped up, startled. "Oh! Geez, Gloria! Don't you _dare_ do that again, you hear me?!"

"Sorry!" Gloria said. "Anyhow, I was looking for you, but now I know where to find you. If you want you can help me look for the others."

"No need," Julie said as she sat up, "Amanda's on the other side of the deck showing off her cross-breed Pokémon, Michael's just down this side with his Eevees, and Joshua's talking to someone on the bridge. I think she said her name was Brazen or Rave or something like that."

"Would her name be, by any stroke of luck, Raven?" Gloria wondered.

"Yeah, that's it, Raven! That's her name."

"Ok, 'cause Lucy said Raven wanted to talk to me. Lucy told me Raven's the leader."

"Oh. I'm gonna' stay here and show off my extensive variety of impressions!"

Gloria giggled. She found it tough to admit, but Julie's Pokémon impressions were very good. She walked to the bridge; she wanted to have a talk with Raven…


End file.
